CAD Challenges in Multimedia Computing

This tutorial surveys the present and future of multimedia computing systems and outlines new challenges for CAD presented by these systems. Multimedia computing is a challenging domain for several reasons: it requires both high computation rates and memory bandwidth; it is a multirate computing problem; and requires low-cost implementations for high-volume markets. As a result, the design of multimedia computing systems introduces new challenges for CAD at all levels of abstraction, ranging from layout to system design. After surveying the nature of the multimedia computing problem, we examine two experiences in multimedia computer design from a CAD perspective: the design of VLSI systems-on-chips for multimedia; and the successive refinement of an application from software to a highvolume chip using advanced CAD synthesis tools.