An adaptive computing system (ACS) is a system that can reconfigure its logic and/or data paths in response to dynamic application requirements. The system may include a number of connected adaptive computing boards, each board including a reconfigurable FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) integrated circuit.
Applications to be performed by ACS systems may be developed and implemented on different platforms. For example, many ACS applications require strict VME (Versa Module Europa) environments found in large, embedded systems, yet much of the algorithm mapping may be done in university research labs using PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect)-based systems.
Replicating these VME environments in university labs may be prohibitively expensive because of the cost of chassis, single-board computers, and real-time software development tools. In addition there is a learning curve associated with programming and debugging embedded systems that make them a poor choice for an application development platform for graduate students. Conversely, allowing the university partners to develop their applications on commercial ACS boards in a PC environment may also be impractical because no path exists to transition to the deployed environment. Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide an open, distributed, and scalable ACS system architecture that includes an API (Application Programming Interface) which enables source-code porting and scaling from small research platforms to larger field-deployable systems.