ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses a generic multiprocessor and provides a representative example to illustrate key subsystems found in modern high performance embedded computing (HPEC) systems. It covers from the analog-to-digital converter through both the front-end VLSI technology and the back-end programmable subsystem. The chapter presents a generic architecture representative of HPEC capabilities for the classes of systems. Many contemporary HPEC systems are based on an architecture comprising a large number of multiple parallel processors. In many real-time sensor applications, the transducer is a very costly part of the overall system. The chapter illustrates a custom system with large computational requirements and interfaced to a peripheral real-time recorder. It discusses a system containing 1000s of CPUs all operating simultaneously in parallel and based on a commercial off-the-shelf programmable processor system. HPEC architects and designers must pay careful attention to the overall system capabilities with all critical building components included in the expected system performance and final characteristics.
