June 12, 2001
[Summary] Semiconductor Technology Academic Research
Center (STARC) receives the consignment about "research and development of
system-on-chip1
tip design technology" as a national project from NEDO2, builds
the joint research development organization in this technical field for the
first time in the industrial world, and is promoting research and development.
*1) System-on-chip: It abbreviates to SoC hereafter.
*2) NEDO: New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization
[Contents] This research and development make a core
system called VCDS3, and are realized by
developing the following technology.
(1) With
system specification definition technology, the rapid prototyping in a system
level is made possible, and SoC design specification can be checked in an early
design stage.
(2) With
architecture generation technology, the automatic design of the architecture
which a professional architect was designing is enabled conventionally.
(3)
Compound concrete design description of V core automatically with hard /
software V core generation technology.
(4) With a system function and performance verification technology, cooperation verification of high-speed hardware/software is enabled. Moreover, realize a testability design and enable to shorten test time drastically.
(5) With V
core platform technology, simplify development of design property (V core), and
reuse, and improve development efficiency sharply.
*3)VCDS:Virtual Core based Design System
[Feature] By putting the concept of V core into the upper design of SoC, the design technology which enables reuse of design property is established, and design automation of SoC is enabled.
[Effect] In the upper design of SoC, design property is
accumulated as a V core and easy reuse is attained. Moreover, reusing V core
and by automating an upper design using VCDS, the design of SoC becomes easy
and improvement in large design efficiency of it is attained.
<The rate of the improvement in design
productivity>
- 2005
20 times over the past (90% of rates of reuse of design property)
- 2010
100 times over the past (99% of rates of reuse of design property)
[Former] About the upper design of SoC, neither reuse technology nor automation technology has been established. About RT level, IP reuse and automation technology have just been going to prevail.
[Plan]
The second half of 2002: The demonstration of a VCDS functional limited edition
prototype is possible.
The second half of 2004: Evaluation of the VCDS full functional version prototype is possible.