Carbon Enables CoWare to Bridge RTL Implementation and ESL Design Gap21 December 2004
Through a recently completed agreement, CoWare's ESL Services group is using Carbon's SPEEDCompiler(TM) product on a global basis to integrate IP (Intellectual Property) and full-chip RTL into their ConvergenSC SystemC offering.
"CoWare is a leading provider of ESL virtual platforms and migration services," proclaimed Steve Butler, President and CEO of Carbon. "Carbon's virtual hardware models bring a new dimension to these platforms by allowing designers to test their hardware in a system context with the actual software."
"Including RTL in a SystemC system simulation is now a simple compile step," noted Alan Swahn, Vice President of Marketing and International Sales at Carbon. "Carbon's hardware-accurate models are a natural fit with ESL design and validation tools."
Problem Solved
Previously, simulating at the system-level typically meant using idealized behavioral C models of the hardware under development, in conjunction with a C testbench or an instruction set simulator. Unfortunately, legacy RTL and IP can't be included in these environments and behavioral C models don't have the hardware fidelity for software validation.
Today's system-on-chip designs require validating the hardware implementation model (RTL) in a system context with the associated software. Until Carbon's DesignPlayer(TM), it wasn't possible to include full-chip RTL in a C-based or SystemC simulation without crippling performance. This created a disconnect between specification and implementation. Correcting inconsistencies meant patching the software after first silicon and prototype build, or respinning the chip.
With Carbon's SPEEDCompiler software, synthesizable RTL -- Verilog and/or VHDL -- can be compiled to create a hardware-accurate virtual model (DesignPlayer). A behavioral model can be substituted with a DesignPlayer to validate the design specification, including low-level firmware and software drivers, where hardware accuracy is required for meaningful validation.
About Carbon Design Systems
Carbon is delivering software products that enable high-performance pre-silicon chip and system validation. Carbon's virtual hardware models -- DesignPlayers -- can be used for hardware, software, and customer design validation. DesignPlayer models boost hardware regression performance and validate drivers, diagnostics, and firmware up to 50X faster than event-based simulators. A low-cost executable or linkable model can be deployed across the enterprise and to customers without the encumbrances of a slow simulator.
Carbon's new approach shortens schedules and accelerates time-to-profit by enabling validation to occur in parallel with hardware development. Product schedules can be cut significantly, with validation starting as early as the first stable RTL. Problems are found and resolved before fabrication -- rather than waiting for custom models to be built or silicon to be delivered.
Source: Business Wire
All trademarks and copyrighted information contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
Related Computer Hardware Articles
|
