Meta-Algorithms for Scheduling a Chain of Coarse-Grained Tasks on an Array of Reconfigurable FPGAs

Abstract

This paper considers the problem of scheduling a chain of n coarse-grained tasks on a linear array of k reconfigurable FPGAs with the objective of primarily minimizing reconfiguration time. A high-level meta-algorithm along with two detailed meta-algorithms (GPRM and SPRM) that support a wide range of problem formulations and cost functions is presented. GPRM, the more general of the two schemes, reduces the problem to computing a shortest path in a DAG; SPRM, the less general scheme, employs dynamic programming. Both meta algorithms are linear in n and compute optimal solutions. GPRM can be exponential in k but is nevertheless practical because k is typically a small constant. The deterministic quality of this meta algorithm and the guarantee of optimal solutions for all of the formulations discussed make this approach a powerful alternative to other metatechniques such as simulated annealing and genetic algorithms.