Product category:
Design and Development Software
News Release from: Vast Systems Technology | Subject: VPM-T
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 03 June 2005
Tools get to grip with virtual processor
models
Virtual Processor Model Transformer (VPM-T), phase 1, is the latest addition to the range of powerful virtual system prototyping tools from Vast Systems Technology Corp.
Virtual Processor Model Transformer (VPM-T), phase 1, is the latest addition to the range of powerful virtual system prototyping tools from Vast Systems Technology Corp VPM-T enables Vast users to modify the instruction set of a Vast seed virtual processor model, a capability that up until now only Vast had possessed
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 22 Jun 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Systems engineering environment cuts out respins
The Comet 5 system engineering environment (SEE) provides quantitative architectural design and evaluation, hardware refinement and verification, and software development.
Hardware design in an SoC world
Adopting a virtual-prototype-based SoC development process offers all-round benefits, and makes the hardware designer's job easier, argues Graham Hellestrand, founder of Vast Systems Technology.
The Vast seed model consists of the instruction set, microarchitecture, pipelining and other behaviour of a specific microprocessor.
"With the transformer, Vast customers can generate a new VPM in the same microprocessor family by adding, removing or replacing instructions in the Vast seed VPM instruction set".
"The behaviour, timing and mnemonic aspects of an instruction can be changed independently", said Vast founder and CTO, Graham Hellestrand.
"The VPM-T enables our users to quickly enhance or change a Vast virtual processor model and make it available to software and hardware developers within their own organisations and their customer base".
"This capability has never been available to chip designers before, and can be a large competitive advantage".
During the last 12 months, Vast has delivered a family of tools with "constructor" capability including platform constructor technology (PCT) within Comet, which enables users to quickly configure an entire virtual system prototype, and Peripheral Device Builder (PDB), which automates the creation of peripheral device models.
"Our constructor class of tools puts more control in the hands of our users, becoming an increasingly valuable competitive weapon in their race for differentiation and time to market".
"For users who will continue to rely on Vast for creation of their entire virtual system, we will model the processors, buses, bus bridges and peripherals in a turnkey delivery system that runs with cycle accuracy at near hardware speeds", commented Alain Labat, Vast CEO.
Virtual Processor Model Transformer, currently in use by early adopters, will be available for general release in 2006 with pricing starting at $100,000 for a one-year, time-based, node-locked licence.
• Vast Systems Technology: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Electronicstalk email newsletter
• Electronicstalk Home Page

