Portrays hardware and software not as different domains, but rather as two implementation options along a continuum of options varying in their design metrics such as cost, performance, size, power and flexibility. The main aim of this text is to provide a foundation that supports the multi-threaded style of programme in high reliability requirements of embedded software.

Three important trends, integrated circuits, quality compilers, and synthesis technology, enable the designer to describe the desired functionality in a high level programming language to generate an efficient custom hardware processor implementation.