Interaction between data parallel compilation and data transfer and storage cost minimization for multimedia applications

Abstract

Real-time multi-media applications need large processing power and yet require a low-power implementation in an embedded programmable parallel processor context. Our main contribution in this context is the proposal of a formalized DTSE (data transfer and storage exploration) methodology, which allows to significantly reduce system bus load and hence overall system performance and also power consumption. We demonstrate the complementarity of this methodology by coupling the DTSE with a state-of-the-art performance optimizing and parallelizing compiler. Experiments on two real-life video and image processing applications show that this combined approach heavily reduces the memory accesses and bus-loading and hence power and also significantly reduces the total execution time. Decomposing the detailed parallelization and DTSE issues into two different stages is important to obtain the benefits of both the stages without exploding the complexity of solving all the issues simultaneously. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1999.