Vasanth Asokan
Xilinx

Given the rapid growth of embedded processing requirements, system architects are turning toward multiprocessor designs to solve the twin problems of burgeoning complexity and inadequacy in single processor systems. With their high logic density and high-performance hard blocks, recent generations of field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) have made powerful chip multiprocessing (CMP) solutions a reality. The challenge now lies in how you can rapidly explore and create designs in this solution space.

Xilinx Embedded Development Kit (EDK) tools and IP provide the flexibility to create uniquely crafted, customized multiprocessing solutions on FPGA logic real estate that can meet both price and performance targets. This article provides a broad overview of multiprocessing concepts as they apply to Xilinx solutions based on PowerPC and MicroBlaze embedded processors.