Introduction
An application-specific instruction-set processor (ASIP) is a processor core whose architecture and instruction set are tailored to a particular algorithm, or class of algorithms, in order to achieve higher levels of performance (in terms of speed, area, and power consumption) than a general purpose core.
In addition, ASIPs are typically not available as off-the-shelf component. Instead, they are usually found in system-on-chip designs, where they act as hardware accelerators. However, they differ from accelerators in their programmability.
In this serie, I will present what ASIPs are, where they are found, and I will talk about their design.