In this paper, we consider system- level synthesis as the problem
of optimally mapping an algorithm-level specification onto a heterogeneous
hardware/software architecture. This problem requires
(1) the selection of the architecture (allocation) including
general purpose and dedicated processors, ASICs, buses and memories,
(2) the mapping, of the algorithm onto the selected architecture
in space (binding) and time (scheduling) and
(3) the design space exploration with the goal to find a set of implementations
that satisfy a number of constraints on cost and performance.
Existing methodologies often consider a fixed architecture, perform
the binding only, do not reflect the tight interdependency between binding
and scheduling, require long run-times preventing design space exploration
or yield only one implementation with optimal cost.
Here, a model is introduced that handles all mentioned requirements
and allows the task of system-synthesis to be specified as an optimization
problem. Furthermore, the application of an Evolutionary Algorithm to solve
this problem is described.