Balsa: An Asynchronous Circuit Synthesis System A thesis submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree of Master of Philosophy in the Faculty of Science & Engineering 1998 Andrew Bardsley Department of Computer Science Contents Chapter 1. Introduction .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 14 1.1. Thesis overview .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 14 1.2. Asynchronous design .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 14 1.3. The contribution made by this work .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 16 1.4. The structure of this thesis .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 16 Chapter 2. Handshake Circuits .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 18 2.1. Handshake circuits .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 18 2.2. The handshake components .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 19 2.2.1. Composing handshake circuits .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 21 2.2.1.1. Boolean guarded choice – a multiple guard ‘if’ .. 24 2.2.1.2. Boolean guarded repeated choice – a multiple guarded ’while’ .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 25 2.2.1.3. Signal / communication guarded choice – choice of behaviour based on signalling order .. .. .. .. 25 2.2.2. The Balsa handshake component set .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 26 2.3. Tangram .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 29 2.3.1. Tangram basic commands .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 29 2.3.1.1. Input, output and synchronisation commands .. .. 29 2.3.1.2. Assignment .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 30 2.3.1.3. skip and stop commands .. .. .. .. .. .. 30 2.3.1.4. Sequencing and concurrency .. .. .. .. .. .. 31 2.3.2. Conditional and repetition commands .. .. .. .. .. .. 32 2.4. The Tangram compilation function .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 32 2.4.1. The basic commands .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 34 2.4.2. The compositional commands .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 34 2.4.3. Expressions .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 35 2.5. Chapter summary .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 37 Chapter 3. The Balsa Language .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 38 3.1. Balsa as an extension of Tangram .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 38 3.1.1. Declarations .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 40 3.1.2. Typing .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 41 3.1.2.1. Numeric types .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 42 3.1.2.2. Enumerated types .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 42 3.1.2.3. Record types .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 43 3.1.2.4. Array types .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 44 2 Contents 3.1.3. Procedures .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 44 3.1.4. Tangram features missing from Balsa .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 46 3.1.4.1. Variable procedure arguments .. .. .. .. .. .. 46 3.1.4.2. Tuples and simultaneous assignment .. .. .. .. 47 3.1.4.3. Implicit type-casting .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 48 3.1.4.4. CSP like communication selection mechanism .. 49 3.1.4.5. ram and reg distinctions for arrayed memory access .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 49 3.1.5. Balsa features not present in Tangram .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 3.1.5.1. Separate compilation .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 3.1.5.2. Arrayed channels .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 3.1.5.3. Type system features .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 51 3.1.5.4. The for command .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 51 3.2. Input choice with select .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 52 3.2.1. Differences from Tangram select .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 53 3.2.1.1. No output selection .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 53 3.2.1.2. Multiple guard channels .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 53 3.2.1.3. Guard enclosure .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 53 3.2.1.4. Lack of arbitration .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 54 3.2.2. Uses of selection .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 54 3.2.2.1. Input selection – the unbuffered multiplexer .. .. 56 3.2.2.2. Unbuffered choiceless pipeline elements – tupling element .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 57 3.2.2.3. Constructing Micropipeline-like pipelines .. .. .. 58 3.2.2.4. Tangram-like selection .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 60 3.2.3. Implementing selection .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 61 3.2.3.1. The DecisionWait handshake component .. .. .. 61 3.2.3.2. The FalseVariable handshake component .. .. .. 62 3.2.3.3. Arbitration .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 63 3.2.3.4. Compiling select .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 64 3.3. Chapter summary .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 66 Chapter 4. Compiling Balsa to Handshake Circuits .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 68 4.1. Balsa design flow .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 68 4.2. The balsa-c compiler – internal structure and function .. .. .. .. .. 70 4.3. Extensions to the Tangram compilation function .. .. .. .. .. .. 72 4.3.1. Composite typing – variable placement, arrays and record type compilation .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 74 4.3.1.1. Variable accesses .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 74 4.3.1.2. Channel accesses .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 74 Contents 3 Contents 4.3.1.3. Accesses to other types of instances .. .. .. .. 75 4.3.1.4. Compiling partial width accesses to variables .. .. 75 4.3.1.5. Compiling array accesses with non-constant indices .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 77 4.3.2. Procedure sharing – activation and access handling .. .. .. 79 4.3.3. The choice commands – select and case .. .. .. .. 81 4.4. Tools other than balsa-c – breeze2dot, breeze2lard, breeze2gates .. .. 82 4.5. Chapter summary .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 82 Chapter 5. Handshake Component Implementations and Simulation .. .. .. 84 5.1. Implementations of handshake components .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 85 5.1.1. Control components .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 86 5.1.1.1. Multiway components – Concur and Sequence .. 86 5.1.1.2. The while command – While, WhileElse and Bar components .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 87 5.1.1.3. New components – FalseVariable and DecisionWait .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 91 5.1.1.4. The modified case component – Case .. .. .. .. 93 5.1.1.5. Arbitration – Arbiter .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 96 5.1.2. Channel construction components .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 97 5.1.2.1. Call and CallMux (MIX and MIX[PUSH]) .. .. .. 98 5.1.2.2. CallDemux (MIX[PULL]) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 98 5.1.2.3. Fork and ForkPush (FORK) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 98 5.1.2.4. Synch, SynchPush and SynchPull (JOIN) .. .. .. 98 5.1.2.5. Passivator and PassivatorPush (PAS) .. .. .. .. 99 5.1.2.6. Continue, ContinuePush, Halt and HaltPush (RUN, STOP) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 99 5.1.3. Datapath components .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 99 5.2. The Breeze intermediate language .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 100 5.2.1. Breeze syntax .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 100 5.2.2. Breeze within the Balsa system .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 102 5.3. The breeze2gates handshake component to gate mapper .. .. .. .. 102 5.3.1. Perl – the practical extraction and report language .. .. .. 103 5.3.2. The Breeze parser and the netlist format .. .. .. .. .. .. 104 5.3.3. Scripting to specify parameterisable components .. .. .. 105 5.4. Peephole and gate-level optimisations .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 107 5.4.1. DecisionWait activation removal .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 107 5.4.2. FalseVariable – Transferrer removal .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 108 5.5. Simulation using LARD .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 110 5.5.1. Choosing the ‘level’of simulation .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 110 Contents 4 Contents 5.5.2. LARD simulation .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 112 5.6. Chapter summary .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113 Chapter 6. The example designs, the SSEM and STUMP .. .. .. .. .. .. 114 6.1. The small scale experimental machine, SSEM .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 114 6.1.1. The behaviour of the SSEM .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 114 6.1.2. The Balsa top level .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 115 6.1.3. Memory .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 117 6.1.4. Decode and execute .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 118 6.1.5. Compilation and simulation .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 119 6.1.5.1. Compilation times .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 120 6.1.5.2. The test harness .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 120 6.1.5.3. Simulation .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 120 6.2. A simple 16b RISC, STUMP .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 122 6.2.1. The register bank .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 126 6.2.2. The ALU .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 129 6.2.3. The sign extending multiplexer – SEMux .. .. .. .. .. 132 6.3. Chapter summary .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 133 Chapter 7. Conclusions and Further Work .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 135 7.1. This thesis .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 135 7.1.1. The Balsa language .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 135 7.1.1.1. ‘Normalising’Tangram .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 135 7.1.1.2. Adding to the expressiveness of Tangram .. .. .. 136 7.1.2. Compiling Balsa .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 137 7.1.3. The Balsa handshake component set .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 139 7.1.4. Simulating Balsa with LARD .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 139 7.2. Related Work at Manchester .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 140 7.2.1. LARD .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 141 7.2.2. Rainbow .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 142 7.2.3. Justifying three projects .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 143 7.3. Other approaches to CSP synthesis .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 143 7.3.1. Burns: Automated Compilation of Concurrent Programs into Self-timed Circuits .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 143 7.3.1.1. Channel primitives: Bidirection channels and the Probe .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 144 7.3.1.2. Input selection .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 146 7.3.1.3.