US Patent 9323876 Integrated circuit pre-boot metadata transfer

Pre-boot metadata transfer may include loading a first configuration bitstream into a programmable integrated circuit (IC), wherein the first configuration bitstream includes a first circuit design and metadata for a second circuit design. The metadata may be stored within a memory of the programmable IC. A configuration bitstream load condition may be detected and, responsive to the configuration bitstream load condition, a second configuration bitstream may be loaded into the programmable IC. The second configuration bitstream includes a second circuit design.