Initiative aims to unify embedded system design flow

SAN FRANCISCO — Virtual system prototyping technology provider Vast Systems Technology Corp. has created an initiative to unify the embedded system design flow, the company said Monday (July 17).

According to Vast (Sunnyvale, Calif.), the 1-Source initiative unifies the flow with a single standards-compliant, high-speed, cycle-accurate virtual processor model integrated with a series of standards-based virtual system prototyping technologies and third-party tool interfaces.

The difficulty and complexity of making virtual system prototypes (VSPs) work in the larger design flow has been a major barrier to their adoption, Vast said. One root cause of complexity is the large number of processor model abstraction types, each with different timing, performance and functionality characteristics, according to Vast.

The 1-Source initiative aims to solve the complexity problem with one processor model satisfying performance and accuracy requirements, coupled with a series of standards-based technologies and third-party tool interfaces, according to Vast.

"We are deeply committed to furthering the productivity of our customers through compliance to standards and opening our modeling and simulation technology to users," said Alain Labat, Vast president and CEO, in a statement.

Vast said the 1-Source initiative promises six major deliverables:

High-speed, cycle-accurate processor modeling technology.

Native OSCI 1666 SystemC support enabling standards-based interoperability and high performance simulation.

Standards-based communication model support that allows high performance simulations using protocol-agnostic transaction models.

Third-party tool interfaces that allow customers to use virtual system prototypes with proprietary and third-party models and tools and third party simulators.

Open platform export to other SystemC simulators allowing customers to package and ship platforms created with Vast tools to their customers who may use other SystemC tools.

Deploying Vast's cycle-accurate processor modeling technology to processor intellectual property (IP) companies.