A 4-way VLIW embedded multimedia processor

Performance requirements are soaring for embedded processors, whose demand in multimedia processing is rising now more than ever. Some DSP and media processors satisfy this by means of VLIW architecture. However, for embedded processors, less code, low power and small die are compulsory. These requirements make 4-way super-scalar embedded processor impractical. This embedded processor utilizes 4-way VLIW architecture characterized by: (1) parallel execution by VLIW. (2) generic CPU function in combination with media processing function for enhancing multimedia processing ability. (3) NOP instruction suppressing by packing flags for compatibility among different parallel levels. (4) two parallel execution mechanisms, ILP and SIMD.