High-Radix Logarithm with Selection by Rounding: Algorithm and Implementation

Abstract

A high-radix digit-recurrence algorithm for the computation of the logarithm, and an analysis of the tradeoffs between area and speed for its implementation, are presented in this paper. Selection by rounding is used in iterations j ? 2, and by table look-up in the first iteration. A sequential architecture is proposed, and estimates of the execution time and hardware requirements are obtained for n = 16, 24, 32, 53 and 64 bits of precision and for radix values from r = 8 to r = 1024. These estimates are obtained according to an approximate model for the delay and area of the main logic blocks. We show that the most efficient implementations are obtained for radices ranging from r = 32 to r = 256, reducing the execution time by half with respect to a radix-4 implementation with redundant arithmetic.