An elementary transcendental function core library for reconfigurable computing

FPGAs have established performance advantages over other processing technologies. Difficulties in achieving high design productivity counterbalance these performance advantages. High-level languages (HLLs) targeting FPGAs together with low-level core libraries have the potential to overcome these productivity challenges. It is desirable to possess an industry standard for the integration of core libraries into FPGA HLLs. The OpenFPGA CORELIB group is working towards this end. The authors present an implementation of a core library: A library of floating-point elementary transcendental functions targeted at DIME-C, an FPGA HLL, and Xilinx Virtex-4 FPGAs. The paper contrasts three methods of creating pipelined mathematical cores: Using DIME-C creation, using VHDL and using System Generator. Implementation results, comparisons with software and general conclusions about elementary functions on FPGAs are given.