Blurring The Lines On Prototyping


Prototyping is an integral part of every [getkc id="81" kc_name="SoC"] today, with two main approaches being used: virtual or software-based, and physical, which includes FPGA-based boards as well as hardware emulation systems. [getkc id="104" kc_name="Virtual prototyping"] is typically used for software development in the early stages of SoC design, even before SoC [getkc id="49" kc_name="R... » read more

Solving The ASIC Prototype Partition Problem With Synopsys ProtoCompiler


When developing a multi-FPGA prototype of an ASIC or SoC, you have many decisions to make: how to distribute clocks; where to put the daughter boards with real-world interfaces; which modules should be assigned to each FPGA; where and how many cables connect the FPGAs; and how to squeeze all the signals into those cables. All these decisions need to result in the fastest possible prototype that... » read more

The Week In Review: Design/IoT


Mergers & Acquisitions Mentor Graphics bought [getentity id="22268" e_name="Flexras Technologies"] for an undisclosed sum. Flexras, based in France, makes FPGA-based prototyping tools. The company was founded in 2009. Deals Sonics won a deal with Toshiba, which is using Sonics' on-chip network technologies and services for application processors targeted at smart appliances, industrial... » read more

Software Design Moves Virtual Prototyping Into The Mainstream


With the high level of integration of CPUs, GPUs, and DSPs in today’s System-on-Chip (SoC) and ASIC devices, software is becoming a primary driver of system innovation. This, along with the increasing pressure to reduce system development time, makes it critical to get a working hardware prototype into the hands of the various software teams as quickly as possible. Traditional prototyping met... » read more

The Agony Of Hardware-Assisted Development Choices


“When defining a product, if you haven’t upset at least one part of the organization, then the product is probably ill defined and tries to address too many things!” That’s what one of my mentors taught me early on in my career as product manager. Ever since then I have been interested in portfolio management. The most recent announcement that we made on the Protium Rapid Prototyping Pl... » read more

Blog Review: July 2


Mentor’s Nazita Saye has reservations about driverless cars. Sometimes it’s actually fun to drive—and sometimes it isn’t. Cadence’s Brian Fuller is a bit more optimistic about driverless cars. He says that from the standpoint of safety, efficiency and environment, autonomous vehicles will be a big step forward—if and when some critical problems are solved. And along the same... » read more

Is Verification At A Crossroads?


As SoC verification methodologies and technologies have continued to mature, it’s an interesting time for engineering teams as they look to meet time to market goals and cut costs in an environment of cutthroat profit margins. Whether it is hardware emulation, FPGA prototyping, virtual prototyping or traditional software simulation, each platform has its strengths and drawbacks, with overl... » read more

Blog Review: Jan. 15


Mentor’s Colin Walls digs into safety-critical sensors for cars, which are essential to the operation of a variety of systems in vehicles. The number of redundant sensors increases proportionate to the risk from failure, something that has been an accepted practice in mil/aero markets for years. Cadence’s Brian Fuller gazes into a crystal ball and concludes that while the semiconductor i... » read more

Tech Talk: FPGA Prototyping


Neil Songcuan, senior product marketing manager at Synopsys, examines the hidden time savings from using an FPGA prototype platform for IP validation and software development, in addition to hardware design. While FPGA prototypes are a well known way of speeding up hardware design, their value in IP validation and software development for an integrated SoC is just beginning to surface. [you... » read more

Week In Review: System-Level Design


Synopsys extended its FPGA prototyping board with a new version that is optimized for IP and subsystems. This is particularly interesting given the fact that Synopsys is one of the largest IP providers and currently sells subsystems based on its ARC processor IP. Among the new features are support for 4 million gates for software development and hardware-software integration, as well as synthes... » read more

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