Embryonics: A New Methodology for Designing Field-Programmable Gate Arrays with Self-Repair and Self-Replicating Properties

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Embryonics A New Methodology for Designing
Field-Programmable Gate Arrays with Self-Repair
and Self-Replicating Properties
Daniel Mange, Member, IEEE, Eduardo Sanchez,
Member, IEEE, Andre Stauffer,Member, IEEE,
Gianluca Tempsti, Member, IEEE, Pierre Marchal,
Member, IEEE, and Christian Piguet IEEE
TRANSACTIONS ON VERY LARGE SCALE INTEGRATION
(VLSI) SYSTEM, VOL. 6, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 1998
Chan-Chuan Lee

• Laboratory for Reliable Computing (LaRC)
• Electrical Engineering Department
• National Tsing Hua University

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Outline

• Introduction
• The Foundations of EMBRYONICS
• System of Ordered Binary Decision Diagrams(OBBD)
• A New Field-Programmable Gate Array Based on a
  Multiplexer Cell
• Cellular differentiation Genome Interpretation
• Cellular Division Duplication of The Genome
• Self-Replication and Self-Repair Properties
• Conclusions

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Introduction(1/2)

• The growth and the operation of all living beings
  are directed through the interpretation, in each
  of their cells, of a chemical program, the DNA
  string or genome.
• Any logic system can be represented by an order
  binary decision diagram(OBBD), and then embedded
  into a fine-grained field-programmable gate
  array(FPGA) .
• The cellular array thus obtained is perfectly
  homogeneous the function of each cell is defined
  by a configuration(or gene) and all the genes in
  the, each associated with a pair of coordinates,
  make up the genome of the articial organism.

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Introduction(2/2)

• The interpreter extracts from the genome, the
  gene of a particular cell as a function of its
  position in the array.
• Self-Replication(the automatic production of one
  or more copies of the original organism)
• Self-Repair (the automatic repair of one or more
  faulty cells)

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Objectives and Strategy

• Develop very large scale integrated (VLSI)
  circuits capable of self-repair and
  self-replication.
• Self-replication allows complete reconstruction
  of the original device in case of a major fault
  while self-repair is opposite.
• Order binary decision diagram(OBBD) greatly
  simplify the realization of a new family of
  FPGAs, based a fine-grain cell. This cell is
  called MUXTREE.

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The Foundations of Embryonics(1/2)

• The general hypothesis about the environment
• First feature Multicellular Organization

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The Foundations of Embryonics(2/2)

• Second feature Cellular Differentiation.
• Third featureCellular Division.

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Synthesis of Ordered Binary

• OBBD is a graphical representation which exploits
  well the 2-D space and immediately suggests a
  physical realization on silicon.
• OBBD lead us to a natural decomposition into
  cells realizing a logic test, easily implemented
  by a multiplexer.

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Modulo-4 up-down Counter

• An example for this

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Modulo-4 up-down Counter(1/2)
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Modulo-4 up-down Counter(2/2)
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Hardware Implementation

• The goal is to implement directly the ordered
  binary decision diagram on silicon.
• Replace each test elements with 2-to-1
  multiplexer.
• The two state functions Q1 and Q0 are available
  at the outputs of the top multiplexers.

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A New Field-Programmable Gate Arrays Based on A
Multiplexer Cell

• Each of the two inputs of the multiplexer(labeled
  0 and 1) will be programmable.
• The output of the mux will be, therefore,
  connected to the inputs of the muxs in the
  neighboring cells to the north, northeast, and
  northwest.
• Sequential systems require the presence, in each
  cell, of a synchronous memory element, a D-type
  flip-flop.

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MUXTREE Cell

• Fig-(a) Detailed architecture
• Fig-(b) The 20-bit data GENE 190 with
  PPRESET, RREG, and EB EBUS.

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The Switch Block SB

• Fig-(a) Interconnection possibilities.
• Fig-(b) Detailed Architecture.

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Nine-Cell Implementation of The Up-Down Counter

• Fig-(a) logic Level
• Fig-(b) bus level
• Use two D-type flip-flops,generates the variables
  Q1 and Q0 in place of Q1 and Q0.

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Hierarchical Overview of the Three Layers

• For the sake of simplicity, decompose it in three
  components.
• Memory stores a single gene per address.

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Microprogrammed Realization

• Use a microprogram to compute the local
  coordinates X and Y and to extract from our
  artificial genome.
• Up-down counter can be considered as a truth
  table whose input are coordinates or addresses X
  and Y and whose output are genes GENE 190
• Express coordinates X and Y in pure binary code,
  using the logic variables X1, X0, Y1, Y0.

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Computation and Genome Representation

• Fig-(a) Gene computation

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Computation and Genome Representation

• Fig-(b) X coordinates computation.
• Fig-(c) Up-down counter genome.

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NANOPASCAL A High-Level Language

• Define a programming language well suited for
  the description, the interpretation and the
  duplication of the genome.

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NANOPASCAL language

• Fig-(a) Syntactic diagram

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NANOPASCAL language

• Fig-(b) Microprogram GENOME

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NANOPASCALINE An Interpreter for the NANOPASCAL
Language

• Detailed architecture with format and operation
  code (OPC) for the six instruction of the language

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Cellular Division Duplication of the GENOME

• The duplication of the GENOME microprogram is
  accomplished automatically, in parallel with its
  interpretation.
• The GENOME microprogram is thus duplicated in
  permanence, resulting in a great simplicity of
  excellent wiring and reliability.
• Since an eventual transient fault(copy
  error)during a cycle will be corrected in the
  next cycle.

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Properties of the Up-Down Counter

• Fig-(a) Self-replication
• Fig-(b) Self-repair

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BIODULE Demonstration Artificial Digital Cell
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BIODULE Demonstration Artificial Digital Cell

• Detailed architecture

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Conclusions

• The result of the paper is the development of a
  new family of FPGAs called MUXTREE.
• Self-repair and self-replication are easy to
  realize.
• Future perspectives.
• The main drawback of the BIODULE cell is the lack
  of balance between MUXTREE.
• To develop a new coarse-grained FPGA.