Embedded: Fastest functional simulator with SystemC Bridge

Virtutech Inc. offers the Simics SystemC Bridge, an interface that enables unmodified SystemC-based devices to leverage the Virtutech Simics virtual software development (VSD) platform for full-system development. The new interface provides....

By Control Engineering Staff June 18, 2008

Anaheim, CA – Virtutech Inc. offers the Simics SystemC Bridge , an interface that enables unmodified SystemC-based devices to leverage the Virtutech Simics virtual software development (VSD) platform for full-system development. The new interface provides SystemC-based devices with a scalable, top-down development environment.“As a SystemC user, Hitachi welcomes the opportunity to leverage the SystemC Bridge to Virtutech Simics,” says Toshiaki Terao, engineering manager of Hitachi Ltd. “We are expecting that, as the leading virtualized software development platform, Virtutech Simics will continue to improve the software development process for complex products.” To deploy a virtual platform throughout the product life cycle , OEMs need a flexible infrastructure to build mixed languages and heterogeneous virtual platforms, Virtutech says. SystemC has been a standard in the hardware-centric design flow of ESL, but the intrinsic performance of the SystemC kernel doesn’t necessarily support the requirements for successfully deploying a virtual platform for system-level simulation and full software development for the target system, the company says. This situation either requires OEMs to remodel in C or alter their C++-based model so much that they become incompatible with the SystemC standard. By providing a Bridge with Simics, said to be the fastest commercial TLM-based simulation system on the market, Virtutech enables OEMs to expand use of virtual platforms in the area of full system and software development while leveraging legacy, unmodified SystemC models.According to Mark Burton, managing director of GreenSocs, “As an independent professional services provider of ESL solutions for semiconductor companies and OEMs, GreenSocs has seen more and more demand for a very fast functional simulator at the full system level that can leverage the standard SystemC models and support mixed and heterogeneous virtual platforms. The Virtutech Simics SystemC Bridge is an elegant solution leveraging our GreenBus interface to bring unmodified SystemC models into Simics.” OEMs can reuse existing models: Virtutech Simics is unique in its ability to provide a platform for full-system development at the software level, says Michel Genard, vice president of marketing for Virtutech, “not just at the firmware or OS level, and at an unparalleled level of performance and scalability. Although SystemC has been broadly deployed in both hardware and low level software development, OEMs have been looking for a long time for a fast simulator to leverage legacy SystemC-based platforms for true software development. With the Simics SystemC Bridge, OEMs can reuse their existing unmodified SystemC models, bring these models into our TLM-based simulator and enjoy all the performance features of Simics. We expect this interface to be a breakthrough that enables the whole SystemC community of users and developers to deploy virtual platforms further into their product life development cycle.”–  Control Engineering News Desk Register here and scroll down to select your choice of eNewsletters free .