Multiprocessors enable parallel execution of a single large

application to achieve a performance improvement. An application

is split at instruction, data or task level (based on

the granularity), such that the overhead of partitioning is

minimal. Parallelization for multiprocessors is mostly restricted

to a fixed granularity. Reconfiguration enables architectural

variations to allow multiple granularities of operation

within a multiprocessor. This adaptability optimizes

resource utilization over a fixed organization.

Here, a unified hardware-software approach to design a

reconfigurable multiprocessor system called QuadroCore is

presented. In our holistic methodology, compiler-driven reconfiguration

selects from a fixed set of modes. Each mode

relies on matching program analysis to exploit the architecture

efficiently. For instance, a multiprocessor may adapt

to different parallelization paradigms. The compiler can

determine the best execution mode for each piece of code

by analyzing the parallelism in a program. A fast, singlecycle,

run-time reconfiguration between these predetermined

modes is enabled by executing special instructions which

switch coarse-grained components like instruction decoders,

ALUs and register banks. Performance is evaluated in terms

of execution cycles and achieved clock frequency. First results

indicate suitability especially in audio and video processing

applications.