Product category:
Design and Development Software
News Release from: Carbon Design Systems | Subject: Carbon OnDemand
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 18 May 2007
Hardware modelling speeds system design
Revolutionary performance technology improves the performance of system platforms containing Carbon Models while still retaining 100% cycle accuracy.
Carbon Design Systems will introduce revolutionary performance technology at this year's Design Automation Conference This new technology, called Carbon OnDemand, dramatically and automatically improves the performance of system platforms containing Carbon Models while still retaining 100% cycle accuracy
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 22 Apr 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Carbon Models compiled with Carbon OnDemand technology automatically detect model inactivity and disable themselves until needed.
This enables the software developer to debug problems at instruction set simulator speeds and only execute the hardware behaviour when it is needed.
Since the detection is done automatically, there is no need to modify the system platform or have design knowledge in order to take advantage of the huge benefits that Carbon OnDemand offers.
Further reading
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SOC-VSP complements the power of ARM RealView SoC Designer by importing Verilog and/or VHDL (RTL) into a RealView SoC development environment.
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Astute Networks has successfully validated both the embedded firmware and hardware for its next generation storage processor chip using Carbon's VSP product.
"OnDemand automates a process that some of our customers are attempting today with manual coding", remarked Bill Neifert, Carbon's Chief Technology Officer and founder.
"Designers will often hand-modify a model to run for a set number of cycles in order to accelerate performance".
"This approach requires deep knowledge of the model, is error-prone and often results in wasted cycles as well".
"The benefit of Carbon OnDemand is that it does all of this work automatically without requiring any design knowledge".
"OnDemand greatly simplifies the problem and always delivers accurate results".
"Since the technology is built directly into the Carbon Model there is no need to modify the system environment".
"The system initiates the transaction and the model continues running until the transaction is complete".
"This could be in two cycles or 2000".
"Carbon's OnDemand technology maximises system throughput while still retaining 100% hardware accuracy".
Carbon's OnDemand technology leverages Carbon's substantial investment in model and system acceleration technology.
When the Carbon Model is compiled, a small amount of monitor logic is included.
This monitor tracks the status of all state elements and input pins in the design.
When these elements stop toggling or start toggling in a purely cyclic manner, the monitor recognises the dormant state and automatically disables the model.
Any change on the module's inputs will then automatically re-enable the model.
A disabled model has minimal impact on overall system performance.
As Carbon models are typically coupled with high-speed instruction set simulators it is possible to get overall system throughput well into the MIPS range.
Carbon OnDemand is the latest in a series of technologies that greatly increase model performance and system throughput.
Carbon Replay, released earlier this year, accelerates system debug performance by enabling faster design iterations.
Carbon OnDemand, to be released later this summer, achieves higher system performance by leveraging system activity while running software.
Future performance enhancements will continue to leverage the behaviour of hardware modules when used to develop software.
Carbon is continually expanding the accessibility of 100% implementation accurate hardware models by making them faster, easier to integrate and easier to debug.
Carbon model generation software with OnDemand technology will be demonstrated at the 2007 Design Automation Conference and will be available for sale in late summer as part of the VSP and SOC-VSP products.
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