Reducing Latency

When the compiler finishes minimizing the initiation interval (II), it automatically seeks to minimize the latency. The optimization directives listed in the following table can help specify a particular latency or inform the compiler to achieve a latency lower than the one produced, namely, instruct the compiler to satisfy the latency directive even if it results in a higher II. This could result in a lower performance design.

Latency directive are generally not required because most applications have a required throughput but no required latency. When hardware functions are integrated with a processor, the latency of the processor is generally the limiting factor in the system.

If the loops and functions are not pipelined, the throughput is limited by the latency because the task does not start reading the next set of inputs until the current task has completed.

Table 1.Optimization Strategy Step 4: Reduce Latency
Directive	Description
LATENCY	Allows a minimum and maximum latency constraint to be specified.
LOOP_FLATTEN	Allows nested loops to be collapsed into a single loop. This removes the loop transition overhead and improves the latency. Nested loops are automatically flattened when the PIPELINE directive is applied.
LOOP_MERGE	Merges consecutive loops to reduce overall latency, increase logic resource sharing, and improve logic optimization.

The loop optimization directives can be used to flatten a loop hierarchy or merge consecutive loops together. The benefit to the latency is due to the fact that it typically costs a clock cycle in the control logic to enter and leave the logic created by a loop. The fewer the number of transitions between loops, the lesser number of clock cycles a design takes to complete.