AMULET1: a micropipelined ARM

Abstract

A fully asynchronous implementation of the ARM microprocessor has been developed in order to investigate the potential of asynchronous logic for low-power applications. The work demonstrates the feasibility of complex asynchronous design and shows that the cost and performance characteristics are similar to clocked designs. AMULET1 is the first attempt at applying asynchronous techniques to a design of this complexity and as such there is much room for improvement. The authors introduce the design approach and organisation of the chip; they then cover the lessons learned from the first design and point towards future strategies for its enhancement and the likely benefits which will accrue from mature asynchronous technology.