Application-specific array processors

An application-specific array processor (ASAP) means a high-speed, application-driven, massively parallel, modular, and programmable computing system. The ever-increasing super-high-speed requirement (in giga/tera FLOPS) in modern engineering applications suggests that mainframe scientific computers will not be adequate for many real-time signal/image processing and scientific computing applications. Therefore, the new trend of real-time computing systems points to special-purpose parallel processors, whose architecture is dictated by the very rich underlying algorithmic structures and therefore optimized for high-speed processing of large arrays of data. It is also recognized that a fast-turnaround design environment will be in a great demand for such parallel processing systems. This has become more realistic and more compelling with the increasingly mature VLSI and CAD technology. Therefore, a major advanced in the state of the art in the next decade or so is expected. How to effectively design an application-specific parallel processing system which leads to a fast-turnaround design methodology is discussed.