Teaching Computer Design with FPGAs

Home

Resources >>
<< Papers


News Index
2002
  Jan Feb Mar
  Apr May Jun
  Jul Aug Sep
2001
  Jan Feb Mar
  Apr May Jun
  Jul Aug Sep
  Oct Nov Dec
2000
  Apr Aug Sep
  Oct Nov Dec

Links
Fpga-cpu List
Usenet Posts
Site News
Papers
Teaching
Resources
Glossary
Gray Research

GR CPUs

XSOC
  Launch Mail
  Circuit Cellar
  LICENSE
  README
  XSOC News
  XSOC Talk
  Issues
  xr16

XSOC 2.0
  XSOC2 Log

CNets
  CNets Log
Google SiteSearch
Does FPGA CPU/SoC design have a place in undergraduate and graduate level computer architecture courses?

I think so. On June 10, 2000, I presented my paper Hands-on Computer Architecture - Teaching Processor and Integrated Systems Design with FPGAs at the Workshop on Computer Architecture Education at the 2000 International Symposium on Computer Architecture in Vancouver, BC. My slides are here: WCAE00 slides.

"Why build an undergraduate architecture course around FPGA-based processors and systems? Because there is such value in the experience of building real hardware. Besides the emotional appeal of booting a computer made of your own ideas and your own hands (and how many educators have had that pleasure?), FPGA CPUs can impart a realism to the learning experience that is probably not available in more textbook or simulator-based approaches."

"So much of computer architecture is about making tradeoffs such as performance versus area versus cycle time versus power, etc. While there is much value in a course project to develop a processor model in an HDL, and then study its behavior in a simulator, it doesn't go far enough. It's like teaching how to balance a home budget but with a bottomless checking account. By not closing the loop with some kind of realistic cycle time, area, and resource-usage data, the design tradeoffs aspect suffers."

Check it out - in particular, the last two pages on "advanced computer architecture research" list some FPGA computing research topics.

[updated 02/18/01]
For an interesting student perspective on this kind of project, please read How the Puerco was born.


Copyright © 2000-2002, Gray Research LLC. All rights reserved.
Last updated: Feb 18 2001