High-Level Synthesis Walks the Talk: Synthesizing a Complete Graphics Processing Application

In this paper, we will describe how a complete graphics processing pipeline was implemented using an HLS methodology. As with most real-life applications, this design consists of a complex mix of control logic, datapaths, interfaces, and hierarchy. We will show how these four essential ingredients are addressed in the context of HLS, and we will review the capabilities of current-generation HLS technology and its applicability for complex applications. In doing so, this paper will focus on the best coding style and suitable abstractions for the various parts of the design. We will dissect and compare the modeling requirements for the control and algorithmic portions of the system. We will conclude by providing guidelines for choosing when high-level models are optimally expressed in a cycle-accurate manner versus the more abstract, purely untimed modeling style, and we will show how to efficiently combine both kinds of models. Thus, the reader will not only see that HLS walks the talk, but they will walk away having learned the correct way to put HLS to work for them today.