Mentor Graphics delivers emulation solutions for verification of ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore-based products

USA: Mentor Graphics Corp. announced a hardware emulation solution for ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor-based System-on-Chip (SoC) designs.

This new solution, when connected to a Veloce emulator, enables designers to test an embedded system containing ARM Cortex-A9 dual core processors, and accelerate their system-level verification to significantly increase their overall productivity.

The Mentor iSolve solution for ARM Cortex-A9 dual core designs combines the speed and accuracy of ARM-certified IP with the visibility and debug capabilities of the Veloce emulator, delivering solutions for verifying a variety of applications, such as smart-phones, tablets, and other high-performance consumer and enterprise products. The solution has a plug-and-play interface to the Veloce emulator, which provides a cost-effective and efficient solution to verify dual core Cortex-A9 embedded systems.

The ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor addresses the needs of users who require processor products to have flexibility in performance, low power, and cost efficiency. It uses an architecture that is ideally suited to addressing the peak performance demands of devices using multiple applications and complex operating systems, such as mobile computers and other portable devices, while at the same time offering reduced power consumption for higher levels of design flexibility.

“We recognize that for designers developing leading-edge products that embed high-performance ARM processors, they need access to the most up-to-date verification solutions to help perform the rigorous pre-silicon testing required for their SoCs,” said Eric Selosse, VP and GM, Mentor Emulation Division.

“Our long-standing relationship with ARM enabled us to rapidly create the iSolve solution for ARM Cortex-A9 dual core, delivering a high-speed and accurate hardware-assisted solution that addresses the needs of our customers who face huge challenges to deliver their products on time in highly competitive markets.”

The new iSolve solution can be used with traditional in-circuit emulation (ICE) or high-performance transaction-based acceleration. Combined with Veloce2, the latest-generation emulator from Mentor, this iSolve solution delivers an excellent software and hardware platform for engineers to verify new and innovative products based on ARM Cortex MPCore-A9 processors.

The Veloce2 emulator is a high-performance dual-mode accelerator/emulator, delivering twice the performance and capacity of previous generations for both transaction-based verification and traditional in-circuit emulation (ICE). With an extensive portfolio of vertical market solutions, the Veloce2 emulator is the platform of choice for networking, wireless, multimedia, storage, and embedded systems applications.