Abstract

A broad spectrum of applications can be accelerated by offloading computation intensive parts to reconfigurable hardware. However, to achieve speedups, the number of loop iterations (trip count) needs to be sufficiently large to amortize offloading overheads. Trip counts are frequently not known at compile time, but only at runtime just before entering a loop. Therefore, we propose to generate code for both the CPU and the coprocessor, and defer the offloading decision to the application runtime. We demonstrate how a toolflow, based on the LLVM compiler framework, can automatically embed dynamic offloading decisions into the application code. We perform in-depth static and dynamic analysis of popular benchmarks, which confirm the general potential of such an approach. We also propose to optimize the offloading process by decoupling the runtime decision from the loop execution (decision slack). The feasibility of our approach is demonstrated by a toolflow that automatically identifies suitable data-parallel loops and generates code for the FPGA coprocessor of a Convey HC-1. We evaluate the integrated toolflow with representative loops executed for different input data sizes.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.