Improving Execution Predictability On Linux With SLX


For many applications, predictability and determinism are often times more desirable than raw performance. This is especially true in emerging markets, like cyber-physical systems or the internet-of-things. For many practical reasons, however, most engineers rely on Linux, which in multicore systems is usually neither predictable nor deterministic. This whitepaper analyzes the predictability of... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Tools & IP Arm has a new access and licensing model for its IP. Flexible Access allows SoC design teams to initiate projects before they license IP by paying a yearly fee for immediate access to a broad portfolio of technology, then paying a license fee only when they commit to manufacturing, followed by royalties for each unit shipped. IP available through Arm Flexible Access includes the... » read more

Big Shifts In Big Data


The big data market is in a state of upheaval as companies begin shifting their data strategies from "nothing" or "everything" in the cloud to a strategic mix, squeezing out middle-market players and changing what gets shared, how that data is used, and how best to secure it. This has broad implications for the whole semiconductor supply chain, because in many cases it paves the way for ... » read more

HW/SW Design At The Intelligent Edge


Adding intelligence to the edge is a lot more difficult than it might first appear, because it requires an understanding of what gets processed where based on assumptions about what the edge actually will look like over time. What exactly falls under the heading of Intelligent Edge varies from one person to the next, but all agree it goes well beyond yesterday’s simple sensor-based IoT dev... » read more

How To Integrate An Embedded FPGA


Choosing to add programmable logic into an SoC with an eFPGA is just the beginning. Other choices follow involving how many lookup tables (LUTs), how much routing and what topology, how will data be transferred in and out of the fabric, does data need to be coherent with system memory, how will it be programmed and tested, and what RTL functions need to be embedded into the programmable fabric ... » read more

Pushing Performance: Analysis and Optimization of Multicore Communication with SLX


In theory, multicore programming should be simple: Tasks are placed on available cores and allocated a data buffer in the shared memory to communicate data between two tasks. However, the amount of communication resources in the latest multicore SoC is very limited. One cannot deal with all the data communications required by all the tasks without being able to understand communication conte... » read more

Challenges In Using HLS For FPGA Design


High-level synthesis (HLS) tools, which transform C/C++ source code to Verilog/VHDL, have been commercially available for over 15 years. HLS tools from FPGA vendors and EDA companies promise improved productivity through a higher-level of abstraction, faster verification and quicker design iterations. For example, simulating your design in C/C++ can be 10 to 100x faster than simulating in RTL (... » read more

Finding And Avoiding Concurrency Bugs


Understanding the intended and unintended interactions between hardware and software components is changing as architectures become more heterogeneous and interconnect topologies get more complicated. This affects performance, power consumption and cost of the project. Lots of universities are researching this from a software perspective, while a small number are looking at the implications fro... » read more

The Case For Embedded FPGAs Strengthens And Widens


The embedded FPGA, an IP core integrated into an ASIC or SoC, is winning converts. System architects are starting to see the benefits of eFPGAs, which offer the flexibility of programmable logic without the cost of FPGAs. Programmable logic is especially appealing for accelerating machine learning applications that need frequent updates. An eFPGA can provide some architects the cover they ne... » read more

SLX Multi-Objective Optimization (MOPT)


Technologies such as autonomous cars and 5G communication are seeing a rapid increase in the number of processing elements (PE) per platform. Where software professionals were used to programming one, two or a handful of cores, the game has now changed. Intel’s Many Integrated Core Architecture [3] contains up to 78 cores, Nvidia Tegra XI[2] has up to 260 cores and Adapteva’s Epiphany-V[1] ... » read more

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