Even More Integration and Automation for ARM-based Designs

The attraction to an IP-based design methodology is that you can assemble an SoC from ready-made IP blocks, saving you valuable engineering development and verification time, while reducing risks from having to develop something from scratch and hoping that they meet industry standard specs. ARM is well known for supplying processor IP, interconnect IP and even debug IP, but how do you quickly connect all of that IP together correctly along with 3rd party IP? The clever engineers at ARM have just come to our rescue by announcing three configuration and integration tools:

• CORESIGHT Creator
• CORELINK Creator
• Socrates DE

Here’s the high-level view of where each of these three tools are used to enable you to quickly configure and integrate IP:

As a methodology you would start with the Socrates DE tool and browse the IP catalog for the processor or subsystem you want, and configure that IP, creating an actual Bill of Materials (BOM) for your new system. Double-clicking on the CORELINK block takes you to a GUI called CORELINK Creator where you create a micro-architecture synthesis and even generate RTL code that includes testbenches. Your AMBA interconnect is now correctly constructed and ready to use as part of your RTL-based design and verification flow. CORESIGHT Creator will generate your debug and trace IP blocks.

With these new levels of automation in Socrates DE you can expect to save months of effort versus manual integration because the configuration is correct-by-construction, lowering the amount of verification you would normally require.

Related – New Suite of ARM IP for Mobile

ARM has been using this more automated approach internally as they develop IP, and now ARM partners can start to enjoy the benefits as well. You will see ARM adding more IP to their catalog in Socrates DE with each new quarterly release cycle, and ARM partners will be adding their IP too. There are at least 50 system IP tooling partners now, giving you a lot of IP choices. Within the next few months you’ll find all of the ARM IP included in the IP catalog of Socrates DE.

I was so pleased to learn that when ARM acquired Duolog last year along with the Socrates technology that it would be further developed to automate IP configuration and integration on ARM and 3rd party IP. The ARM systems and software group really is bringing it all together for the SoC community to benefit.

Related – EDA Mergers and Acquisitions Wiki

For those of you attend DAC next week in San Francisco, then visit them at booth 2414, or see all of the community partners at booth 2428.