APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONFIGURING HARDWARE TO OPERATE IN MULTIPLE MODES DURING RUNTIME

An apparatus and method are provided for configuring hardware to operate in multiple modes of operation during runtime. Included is a plurality of configurable hardware units each having a plurality of operand inputs for receiving operands, a plurality of outputs for outputting results, and at least one hardware unit configuration input for receiving at least one hardware unit configuration signal. Also included is a configurable interconnect fabric coupled between the configurable hardware units. The configurable interconnect fabric includes a plurality of fabric data inputs and fabric data outputs, and a fabric select input for receiving a fabric select signal. The configurable interconnect fabric is configured to interconnect the configurable hardware units, based on the fabric select signal. A configuration storage configured for containing at least one configuration bit pattern for operating the apparatus in one or more modes of operation and for configuring the hardware during runtime operations.