A System-Level Stochastic Circuit Generator for FPGA Architecture Evaluation

The authors describe a stochastic circuit generator that can be used to automatically create benchmark circuits for use in FPGA architecture studies. The circuits consist of a hierarchy of interconnected modules, reflecting the structure of circuits designed using a system-on-chip design flow. Within each level of hierarchy, modules can be connected in a bus, star, or dataflow configuration. Their circuit generator is calibrated based on a careful study of existing SoC circuits. They compare their circuits to those generated by previous circuit generators, and characterize their circuits with respect to the type of network used to connect modules.