User-programmable LDPC decoder

A decoder circuit for a communication device, comprising:

• a low-density parity-check (LDPC) repository to store parity-check information associated with one or more quasi-cyclic (QC) LDPC codes, wherein the LDPC repository includes a code register storing a plurality of entries, the entries including a plurality of codeword length entries, a plurality of information bit size entries, a plurality of circulant submatrix size entries, and a plurality of base matrix layer number entries;
• an LDPC code configurator to receive a first LDPC configuration indicating a codeword length, an information bit size, a circulant submatrix size, and a base matrix layer of a parity-check matrix, the parity-check matrix representing a base matrix and a plurality of circulant sub-matrices for a first QC LDPC code and to update the parity-check information in the LDPC repository to reflect the parity-check matrix for the first QC LDPC code by:
• determining that one or more pointers in the received first LDPC configuration correspond to one or more first entries in the code register, the one or more first entries indicating the codeword length, the information bit size, the circulant submatrix size, and the base matrix layer of the parity-check matrix of the first QC LDPC code;
• and
• updating the parity-check information to reflect contents of the one or more first entries in the code register;
• and
• LDPC decoding circuitry to receive, via a communications channel, a first codeword encoded in accordance with the first QC LDPC code, the LDPC decoding circuitry configured to:
• read the parity-check information associated with the first QC LDPC code from the LDPC repository;
• configure the LDPC decoding circuitry, using information in the one or more first entries in the code register, to decode LDPC codewords encoded using the first QC LDPC code;
• iteratively decode the first codeword, at least in part, by detecting and correcting one or more errors introduced by the communications channel;
• and
• transmit the decoded first codeword to another circuit associated with the communication device.