High Performance Arithmetic Units
A good optimization of the arithmetic blocks results in an improved datapath which directly leads to a better overall design. Such an optimization might be to improve the speed of operation, to lower the power consumption, to lower the cost of the circuit (usually related to the number of gates used or the area on the chip), or to improve any other desired factor. As the different possibilities for implementing the arithmetic operations are explored, we discover that the designer has a large array of techniques to use in order to fulfill the desired outcome. A skilled designer chooses the best technique for the problem at hand. We hope to help future designers make these informed choices by presenting different techniques and tools to measure the different factors for the options that they evaluate.
Related conferences
| Conference | Time | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| RNC | July, yearly | February |
| ASAP | July, yearly | February |
| MWSCAS | August, yearly | March |
| ICFPT | December, yearly | May |
| Asilomar | October, yearly | May |
| ISCAS | May, yearly | October |
| Arith | June, odd years | October |
Some sub-fields with a few representative pages
The following categories are definitely not complete nor very accurate. However, they are a good start to see the "big picture" of Arithmetic.- Basic notions
- Arithmetic in general, not just on computers
- Number systems and redundant representations
- How do we represent integers and manipulate them?
- Floating point units and the IEEE standard
- What about fractions?
- Algorithms and implementations: Addition, Multiplication, and Division
- How is arithmetic done in current and future hardware?
- Elementary functions
- These are the famous exp(x), sin(x), ...
- Decimal Arithmetic
- Quite important for financial applications. Most people think in decimal anyway!
- Accurate arithmetic
- Can we be "sure" of the results?
- Formal proofs
- Applications
- Graphics, signal processing, and cryptography.
- Classes on computer arithmetic
- Many good classes cover different aspects
- Other topics
- Bibliography, Tools, ...
- Floating Point bibliography
- Elementary functions computation bibliography
- Library of Arithmetic Units (VHDL)
- Fixed point arithmetic (in VHDL)
- Library for Integer and Modular Arithmetic (VHDL)
- Digital Computer Arithmetic Datapath Design Using Verilog HDL
- Arithmetic Module Generator
- A dedicated language for describing computer arithmetic algorithms
- Interesting journals
- There are some online journals from the companies in the field