Chameleon Computing

Chips that reconfigure on the fly

By Jaikumar Vijayan

March 22, 2004 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - Imagine a handheld device that combines the functionality of a cell phone, a PDA, an MP3 player, a digital camera, a television and a half-dozen other devices.
Whatever the merits of such a gizmo, for the moment at least, building it is still infeasible. The separate microprocessor logic needed for each function would require far too much real estate and energy to fit into anything resembling a decent handheld.
Proponents of a long-held concept called reconfigurable computing think they may have an answer to the problem.
Reconfigurable computing involves processor hardware capable of automatically adapting to changing application needs. Unlike the permanently etched circuitry on current-generation static microprocessors, the wiring on reconfigurable processors can be redrawn on the fly by software- or hardware-based microcontrollers, to match the function being performed. By opening and closing the millions of logic gates on such chips, their circuitry can be changed so as to perform signal processing one instant, for example, and an encryption function the next.
Because reconfigurable computing chips do away with a lot of the redundancy and overhead found on static processors, they also consume less energy while delivering greater speed.
For instance, a single such chip in a cellular handset could configure itself to search for a local base station, then establish its identity on the cell and finally send or receive calls - tasks that today require multiple chips.


Image Credit: John Brillon

"What you are trying to do is to change the hardware to match the problem at hand," says John Watson, co-founder of QuickSilver Technologies Inc., a developer of adaptive computing technologies in San Jose.
Such malleable chips represent a fundamental shift in microprocessor design, says Nick Tredennick, a former microprocessor architect and editor of the Gilder Technology Report in Great Barrington, Mass.
"All the microprocessors that we have today are basically 30- or 40-year-old designs," says Jim Turley, an independent analyst in Pacific Grove, Calif. "We are fundamentally making the same computers our grandfathers did, even though silicon technology has improved dramatically."
Though it might sound radically new, the concept of adaptive computing architectures has been floating around in one form or another for some time. Indeed, several companies - from relatively unheard-of start-ups such as QuickSilver and GateChange Technologies Inc. to the likes of Intel Corp., Motorola Inc. and Infineon Technologies AG - have efforts under way in the area of reconfigurable computing.
For example, QuickSilver offers an integrated circuit technology that dynamically changes at runtime to create the hardware needed for different applications. Someday, such

Recommend Digg Twitter ShareThis

Email Print Send Feedback Reprints

Additional Resources

Xerox

Win a color printer!

By using solid ink technology only from Xerox, you could save up to 65% by printing color for the cost of black and white. Enter for a chance to WIN a PhaserTM 8860 network color printer!

Microsoft

Upgrade to Internet Explorer 8 today.

Save time and mitigate security risk. Deploy it now.

Sybase

NEXT-GENERATION MOBILITY PLATFORMS

In this white paper, IDC analyzes the role of next-generation mobile enterprise platforms as organizations seek a more strategic deployment of mobile solutions.

Learn the important issues you must consider before starting your next mobility initiative. Get your mobility white paper from IDC now, compliments of Sybase.

White Papers & Webcasts

Hidden Cash: Maximizing the Value of Surplus Technology in a Down Economy
In today's tightened economy, all major technology purchases are being carefully scrutinized to ensure that each new piece of hardware and software can...

Usability Is Everything
Learn what sets Workday's HR and Payroll solutions apart from the competition....

Your Network at Half the Price: Slash Network Hardware Costs With Pre-Owned Equipment
Pre-owned networking equipment is certainly less expensive than the new variety, but IT managers are often challenged to know when and how to...

The Value of Real SaaS at Workday
Cost savings, speed to value, and innovation brought to the enterprise by Workday's software-as-a-service solutions for HR and Payroll....

Impact of the Dramatic Increase in Devices on the Cost to Support
This white paper describes the challenges that CIOs will face in coming years due to a dramatic increase in the number of devices...

SaaS at Flextronics, Inc.
Dave Smoley, CIO of Flextronics, discusses the real value of software-as-a-service and why he chose Workday for his HR solution....

Help Customers Preserve and Share Memories
As digital cameras became more and more prevalent, many photofinishers bemoaned the demise of their traditional film and processing business model. Digital posed...

Why Compliance Pays
This OnDemand webcast explores the relationship that firms with best compliance records have higher revenue, greater customer retention, lower financial losses from data...

For Best Results, Think Beyond the Box
Technology is complex. Keeping it running productively shouldn't be. To that end, you want to minimize the number of solutions needed in-house to...

Agile Enterprise Content Management (ECM) for Rapid ROI
Find out how combining ECM and BPM will help adress issues about content rich business processes....

All White Papers | All Webcasts