Simple vector microprocessors for multimedia applications

Abstract

In anticipation of the emergenceof multimedia applications as an important workload, microprocessor companies have augmented their instruction-set architectures with short vector extensions, thus adding basic vector hardware to state-ofthe -art superscalar processors. Although a vector architecture may be a good match for multimedia applications, there is growing evidence that the control logic for increasingly complex superscalar processors is difficult to implement. Rather than combining a complex superscalar core with short wide vector hardware, we propose using a much simpler processordesign that is similar to traditional vector computers with long vectors and simple control logic for instruction issue. Such a design would use the bulk of its transistors and die area for datapath and registers, and thus lessen the time required to design, implement, and verify control. In this paper, we present data that quantifies this trading of control transistors for datapath and register tr...