Architecture
Compression Engine
A hardware block that reduces data size using algorithms like run-length encoding or dictionary-based compression.
Detailed Explanation
Hardware compression accelerates data reduction compared to software. Simple schemes (run-length encoding) compress repetitive data. Complex schemes (LZ77, LZW) use dictionaries of repeated patterns. Decompression must be equally fast for practical systems.
Trade-offs include compression ratio, latency, throughput, and hardware complexity. Streaming compression operates on data as it arrives; block compression processes chunks. Memory bandwidth savings often justify compression overhead.