[CST-2] VLIW and signal processors

[Nathan Dimmock]

On Sat, May 19, 2001 , Martin Harper wrote:
> Year 2000, Paper 7, Question 3 - most of it is easy, but one 
> three-marker threw me: "Why have VLIW architectures been used only for 
> special-purpose applications such as Digital Signal Processors?"

VLIW processors rely heavily on the compiler or an assembler programmer.
Since compiler tech isn't up to the job yet, they're not much use as general
purpose processors, but they have very good peak performance making it worth
while to pay a programmer to write specialised code e.g. for a DSP.

-- 
Nathan                 Jesus College, Cambridge, CB5 8BL
                       http://www-jcsu.jesus.cam.ac.uk/~ned21/
Spock: The odds of surviving another attack are 13562190123 to 1, Captain.