
Synopsis:
This talk will be about the heart of a NoISA processor, the Hotstate machine. The Hotstate machine is an advanced runtime loadable microcoded algorithmic finite state machine. Unlike other FSMs the Hotstate machine includes many CPU-like features. It supports subroutines and single cycle interrupts. The Hotstate machine is programmed in a subset of C that supports all C control statements and can be debugged using any C debugger. The Hotstate machine is heavily parametrized and is written in SystemVerilog. The compiler will generate parameters from the program and size the machine to fit the program.
Speaker Profile:
Steve Casselman invented Reconfigurable Computing in 1986 and won his first SBIR to build an FPGA based supercomputer in 1987. The lead to being awarded the first ever SBIR of the Year award. The first board from that contract is the prototype of the modern SoC based FPGAs we have today. Working on Reconfigurable Computing for 35+ years Mr. Casselman developed the concept of the NoISA processor and is working toward automated tools to generate a NoISA processor dedicated to a single application.
IEEE Computer Society, Silicon Valley Chapter