High-level synthesis (HLS) has been researched for decades and is still limited to fast FPGA prototyping and algorithmic RTL generation. A feasible end-to-end system-level synthesis solution has never been rigorously proven. Modularity and composability are the keys to enabling such a system-level synthesis framework that bridges the huge gap between system-level specification and physical level design. It implies that 1) modules in each abstraction level should be physically composable without any irregular glue logic involved and 2) the cost of each module in each abstraction level is accurately predictable. The ultimate reasons that limit how far the conventional HLS can go are precisely that it cannot generate modular designs that are physically composable and cannot accurately predict the cost of its design. In this paper, we propose Vesyla, not as yet another HLS tool, but as a synthesis tool that positions itself in a promising end-to-end synthesis framework and preserving its ability to generate physically composable modular design and to accurately predict its cost metrics. We present in the paper how Vesyla is constructed focusing on the novel platform it targets and the internal data structures that highlights the uniqueness of Vesyla. We also show how Vesyla will be positioned in the end-to-end synchoros synthesis framework called SiLago.
翻译:高级合成(HLS)已经进行了数十年的研究,仍然局限于快速的FPGA原型和算法的RTL生成。一个可行的端到端系统合成解决方案从未得到严格证明。模块性和可合成性是促成这样一个系统级合成框架的关键,它弥合了系统级规格和物理级设计之间的巨大差距。这意味着:(1) 每一个抽象层面的模块应该能够实际兼容,而没有任何不规则的粘结逻辑参与;(2) 每个抽象层面的模块的成本是准确可预测的。限制常规的HLS能够达到多大程度的最终原因是它无法产生在物理上可兼容且无法准确预测其设计成本的模块设计。在本文中,我们提议Vesyla不是另一个HLS工具,而是作为一个综合工具,它本身就位于一个充满希望的端到端综合框架,并保持其生成物理可兼容模块设计和准确预测成本测量的能力。我们在文件中介绍了Vesyla如何以其新平台为主,而内部数据结构将显示Vesyla是如何构建的。