Open-Silicon expands front-end design capabilities with advanced virtual prototyping solution

MILPITAS, USA: Open-Silicon is expanding its virtual prototyping capabilities with support for a new web portal introduced by Carbon Design Systems.

Called Carbon System Exchange, the portal provides access to more than 100 pre-built virtual prototype systems and subsystems. These pre-built systems, known as Carbon Performance Analysis Kits (CPAKs), speed the creation and optimization of application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and System-on-Chip (SoC) designs. CPAKs include software, intellectual property (IP) and system solutions from numerous vendors. Open-Silicon has contributed multiple CPAKs to the portal.

"Open-Silicon adds value throughout the entire system design process, from initial concept and architecture through to manufacturing and packaging, making it critical that we have access to the most advanced and accurate virtual prototyping solutions," said Huzefa Cutlerywala, senior director of technical solutions for Open-Silicon.

"We are already using CPAKs internally to deliver optimized ARM processor-based designs, and have found that CPAKs enable us to increase our productivity and accuracy -- ultimately lowering cost and reducing schedule risk for customers. By making CPAKs available directly to our customers via Carbon System Exchange, we expect to build on these existing design advantages."

As part of its support, Open-Silicon has contributed three CPAKs to the portal. The first is a system model containing an ARM® Cortex-A7 dual core platform with memory models. The memory models, developed by Open-Silicon, include NOR flash and SD/eMMC.

The CPAK facilitates the development of low level firmware, such as boot ROM and bootloaders, and also enables driver development. Integrated memory models, built from memory specifications, allow end users to read and write their code into memory without the need for an FPGA or ASIC. Open-Silicon has also contributed an ARM Cortex M3 processor CPAK, as well as a performance analysis CPAK for DSP-based designs. Open-Silicon intends to add more CPAKs as they are developed.