A comparison of automatic word length optimization procedures

This paper presents a comparison of word length determination procedures. It is realized using an automated testbed that exploits a C/C++ fixed-point simulation utility to model the impact of finite word length on overall accuracy. Word length determination procedures find a combination of optimum bit resolutions by computing dissimilarities between fixed-point and floating-point simulation results. The comparison helps to select a procedure that minimizes these dissimilarities and finds an optimal combination of word lengths that meet user specified objectives, in a minimum number of iterations and hardware cost. This comparison was applied on various DSP algorithms.