Bridging the Gap between FPGAs and Multi-Processor Architectures: A Video Processing Perspective

This work explores how the graphics processing unit (GPU) pipeline model can influence future multi-core architectures which include reconfigurable logic cores. The design challenges of implementing five algorithms on two field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and two GPUs are explained and performance results contrasted. Explored algorithm features include data dependence, flexible data reuse patterns and histogram generation. A customisable systemC model, which demonstrates that features of the GPU pipeline can be transferred to a general multi-core architecture, is implemented. The customisations are: choice of processing unit (PU); processing pattern; and on-chip memory organisation. Example tradeoffs are: the choice of processing pattern for histogram equalisation; choice of number of PUs; and memory sizing for motion vector estimation. It is shown that a multi-core architecture can be optimised for video processing by combining a GPU pipeline with cores that support reconfigurable datapath operations.