VLSI design methodologies for digital signal processing

The authors describe the DSP-ASIC (digital signal processing-application specific integrated circuit) design approaches studied at the Tampere University of Technology, Finland, in cooperation with industrial companies. Examples are presented of dedicated ASIC architectures that exploit new innovations at the algorithm level. They also present core processors that are suitable for general-purpose DSP applications, as well as one design which has been optimized for median type filter implementations. Efficient sigma/delta A/D converters are described, which can be an integral part of a DSP system. Finally, the future prospects of the CAD (computer-aided design) framework are examined