The Tangram framework: asynchronous circuits for low power

Asynchronous CMOS circuits have the potential for very low power consumption, because they only dissipate when and where active. In addition they have favorable EMC properties, since they emit less energy, which in addition is evenly distributed over the spectrum. The Tangram framework supports the design of asynchronous circuits in a high-level programming language. Using this framework we have designed several chips, for instance for pagers and smart cards, which are clearly superior to synchronous designs.