So far, computers have grown out of the efforts of programmable IC designers to mass market microprocessor based products -- it has been a bottom-up approach to system design with the microprocessor at the bottom playing a primary role.
We are turning the tables and starting top-down design where the use of the computer to its user plays the main role and we work down from there to the chip. How this impacts the design process is discussed at this blog:
http://khitchdee.wordpress.com
Check it out!
Rohit Agarwal