Product Review
Carbon Design Systems adds ARM Cortex-A15 models
Clive Maxfield5/20/2011 4:38 PM EDT
Comment
dorecchio
The folks from Carbon Design Systems, who modestly describe themselves as “the leading supplier of solutions for architectural analysis, performance optimization and pre-silicon firmware debug,” have just announced the availability of 100% accurate models of ARM’s Cortex-A15 processor on Carbon’s IP Exchange web portal through its early access program.
Editor’s Note: At first I wasn’t sure if this might be an ASIC-only topic, but according to Carbon's CTO Bill Neifert: "Our technology isn’t constrained by implementation. SoCs designed using Carbon can be implemented using ASIC or FPGA technology."
But we digress... Carbon is the first model provider to offer support for the Cortex-A15 intellectual property (IP) core. Cortex-A15 models are compiled directly from ARM’s early access implementation register transfer level (RTL) code and maintain 100% functional accuracy. Models are integrated with Carbon’s SoC Designer virtual platform and enable designers to perform accurate architectural analysis, performance optimization and pre-silicon firmware debug for next-generation devices. Software running on the A15 models can be interactively debugged using ARM’s RealView Debugger.
Carbon SoC Designer lets designers automatically create a Fast Model-based system running at more than 100 million instructions per second from the cycle-accurate representation. This capability enables the same A15 system design to be used throughout the design cycle, from the earliest architectural exploration through application-level software development.
Carbon Design Systems will demonstrate an A15-based virtual platform with a 100% Carbon accurate model and ARM Fast Model booting Android in the Embedded Software Development Embedded Systems and Software Zone (Booth #1914) at DAC 2011 in San Diego, California.
Availability
Carbon’s 100% cycle accurate models and ARM Fast Models of the ARM Cortex-A15 are available today for users in the early access program at Carbon’s IP Exchange web portal at www.carbonipexchange.com
Editor’s Note: At first I wasn’t sure if this might be an ASIC-only topic, but according to Carbon's CTO Bill Neifert: "Our technology isn’t constrained by implementation. SoCs designed using Carbon can be implemented using ASIC or FPGA technology."
But we digress... Carbon is the first model provider to offer support for the Cortex-A15 intellectual property (IP) core. Cortex-A15 models are compiled directly from ARM’s early access implementation register transfer level (RTL) code and maintain 100% functional accuracy. Models are integrated with Carbon’s SoC Designer virtual platform and enable designers to perform accurate architectural analysis, performance optimization and pre-silicon firmware debug for next-generation devices. Software running on the A15 models can be interactively debugged using ARM’s RealView Debugger.
Carbon SoC Designer lets designers automatically create a Fast Model-based system running at more than 100 million instructions per second from the cycle-accurate representation. This capability enables the same A15 system design to be used throughout the design cycle, from the earliest architectural exploration through application-level software development.
Carbon Design Systems will demonstrate an A15-based virtual platform with a 100% Carbon accurate model and ARM Fast Model booting Android in the Embedded Software Development Embedded Systems and Software Zone (Booth #1914) at DAC 2011 in San Diego, California.
Availability
Carbon’s 100% cycle accurate models and ARM Fast Models of the ARM Cortex-A15 are available today for users in the early access program at Carbon’s IP Exchange web portal at www.carbonipexchange.com
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dorecchio
1/9/2012 9:32 AM EST
Hi Max,
As chips get bigger, virtual prototyping is a must-have solution for design verification, architectural exploration and firmware development.
I have been looking into Carbon lately and discovered that they have what appears to be the best of both worlds for Virtual Prototype solution, enabling fast execution AND accurate analysis when needed.
1) Their SoC Designer tool + The models they provide through http://www.carbonipexchange.com allow 100% cycle accurate verification enabling the firmware and architectural engineer to get the design right. Without 100% accuracy you do not get the right results. Typically, cycle accurate models are slower than FastModels provided by ARM. This is where the second capability kicks in.
2) Their tool can switch between ARM FastModels and 100% cycle accurate models which allows the engineer to boot linux, get to one or more breakpoints and then debug with 100% accurate models.
I have not heard of any other vendor who offers both. I thought this would be a good follow-on to your original A15 post for Virtual Prototypes.
- Dave
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