Runtime Reconnguration Techniques for Eecient General Purpose Computation

Because of their widespread use, general purpose microprocessors are called upon to execute an increasingly diverse set of applications. Due to their static organization , these devices often operate very ineeciently under these conditions, which results in lost performance opportunities and extra energy dissipation. By exploiting the partitioning of major microprocessor hardware structures, and applying runtime reconnguration techniques , microprocessor eeciency can be greatly improved while retaining the beneets of fast clock speed, dense functionality, and mature software and chip development tools. While the functionality of each hardware structure remains xed, its complexity is conngured to match application requirements at runtime. Two applications of this approach demonstrate signiicant improvements in both energy eeciency and performance.