The impact of VHSIC on Air Force signal processing

The functional properties of the Very High Speed Integrated Circuits (VHSIC) as related to the Air Force signal processing are examined. The possible applications of these circuits were classified into 'nice-to-have', 'need-to-have', and 'needed-to-have-earlier'; the last category has the strictest requirements for future VHSIC chip designs and architectures. The 'nice-to-have' uses can indicate that the VHSIC methods are practical, and offer early returns for the VHSIC applications and feedback to designers. The software/hardware/architectural tradeoffs, the system reliability, and planned signal-processing commonality are analyzed.