A multichannel benchmark for evaluating multicore, massively parallel, and other high-performance processing engines for communications applications
Overview
The BDTI OFDM Receiver Benchmark™ is an application-oriented benchmark based on an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communications receiver, as shown in the block diagram below. It is representative of the processing found in a wide range of broadband communications applications, both wired and wireless.
BDTI introduced the BDTI OFDM Receiver Benchmark in 2001 as a means to evaluate and compare the performance of a diverse range of complex processing architectures. It has been used to evaluate a wide variety of processing devices—FPGAs, high-performance DSP processors, multicore DSP processors, and highly parallel processors, among others—on a complex, real-world application. It was the basis for the competitive analysis of DSP-enhanced FPGAs and high-performance DSP processors in BDTI’s Focus reports, FPGAs for DSP (2002) and FPGAs for DSP, Second Edition (2006). (To receive excerpts from the 2006 study, please contact BDTI.)
Results obtained from the benchmark are expressed in terms of number of channels supported (or percentage of resources to support a single channel) and cost per channel. An optional energy annex to the benchmark allows measurement of energy consumption.
For results, please visit the listing of BDTI Certified™ benchmark results.
Why Use the BDTI OFDM Receiver Benchmark
If you’re a processor or FPGA supplier selling into the communications market, the BDTI OFDM Receiver Benchmark provides credible, third-party evidence of your solution’s performance – and that translates to increased revenues through more effective marketing and sales.
If you’re developing a new processing platform, the BDTI OFDM Receiver Benchmark helps you quickly and easily understand your architecture’s performance an important class of communication applications. It gives you the performance analysis you need to improve your product with much less effort than implementing a full, standards-compliant communications application. The result? A better architecture, faster.
(Designing an end application with a significant communications component and choosing among processor platforms? Insist that your potential vendors implement the BDTI OFDM Receiver Benchmark.)
Technical Details
FIGURE 1: Simplified Block Diagram of the BDTI OFDM Receiver Benchmark
The IQ block performs demodulation into in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) signals; the Slicer block maps fast Fourier transform (FFT) outputs to points in a QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) constellation.
License to the BDTI OFDM Receiver Benchmark
A license to the BDTI OFDM Receiver Benchmark provides:
- The BDTI OFDM Receiver Benchmark Specification for use in benchmarking one processor (or processing device)
- Benchmark reference implementation in C source code
- Benchmark reference implementation in MATLAB (M code)
- Test vectors for use in verifying the functionality of implementations of the BDTI OFDM Receiver Benchmark
- One-year license to use the above items for one project
- Technical support
The BDTI OFDM Receiver Benchmark may be licensed with or without the Energy Benchmarking Annex.
Energy Benchmarking Annex to the BDTI OFDM Receiver Benchmark
As an annex to the BDTI OFDM Receiver Benchmark Specification, BDTI has developed a methodology for benchmarking energy consumption. The energy benchmarking annex to the BDTI OFDM Receiver Benchmark fills an significant need in processor selection and design today—the need for reliable, credible data on energy consumption.
In the design of a communications system, whether an infrastructure or handheld application, energy consumption is a key consideration. Sadly, reliable data is hard to find. BDTI’s methodology fills the gap—it defines a standard workload and measurement methodology that enable apples-to-apples comparison.
This tool will help both chip vendors and their customers. Chip vendors now have a way to know where they stand. System designers can now understand and compare energy consumption for competing devices.
Next Steps
To license the BDTI OFDM Receiver Benchmark (with or without the Energy Benchmarking Annex), initiate an analysis engagement, or discuss your needs, please contact BDTI at +1 925 954 1411 or contact us via the Web.