Designing a Java microprocessor core using FPGA technology

Ever since its introduction from Sun Microsystems three years ago, Java has been widely accepted in the computing and Internet industry. However the run-time performance is still not good enough for Java to become a general purpose programming language. This paper shows how to implement a Java microprocessor core in silicon to speed up the execution of Java. For a reconfigurable and flexible design, the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is chosen as a target technology for the Java microprocessor. By applying a top-down hardware design methodology to the FPGA design process, it becomes easier and more flexible to implement Java in a FPGA. The DFT technique is added for better testability.