Dictionary-based program compression on customizable processor architectures

The size of the program code has become a critical design constraint in embedded systems, especially in handheld devices. Large program codes require large memories, which increase the size and cost of the chip. In addition, the power consumption is increased due to higher memory I/O bandwidth. Program compression is one of the most often used methods to reduce the size of the program code. In this paper, dictionary-based program compression is evaluated on a customizable processor architecture with parallel resources. In addition to code density, the effectiveness of the method is evaluated in terms of area and power consumption. Furthermore, a mechanism is proposed to maintain the programmability after compression. Up to 77% reduction in area and 73% reduction in power consumption of the program memory and the associated control logic were obtained.