HP Labs Technical Reports

Why Can't Hardware Be More Like Software?

Sharpe, William; McCarthy, Dominic

HPL-95-16

Keyword(s):

Abstract: This paper recognizes the shift in information appliance development techniques due to the increasing number of transistors that may be accommodated on a piece of silicon. The shift is similar to the one undergone in software as memory sizes enlarged. It is expressed as a willingness of system developers to accept inefficiencies in design for advantages in design time. The tools and complexity issues associated with integrating ever more functionality onto a single die mean that there will need to be a split in the development paths of hardware-software codesign tools, tools aimed at the needs of appliance designers, and tools aimed at the integration of macrofunctions.

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