Usage of System C

1
Usage of System C

• Marco Steffan
• 0215884

2
Overview

• Standard
• Existing Tools
• Companies using SystemC

3
Common Standards

• Open SystemC Initiative (OSCI)
• IEEE 1666-2005 Standard SystemC Language
  Reference Manual (LRM)
• Members
• Intel, ARM, Cadence,
• CoWare, Synopsys,
• STMicroElectronics
• Canon, NEC, Infineon

4
Tools

• Forte Design Systems Cynthesizer
• Synopsys System Studio
• Veritools (Verilator)
• CISC Semiconductor DesignConsulting GmbH System
  Architect Designer (SyAD)
• Mentor Graphics
• Candence

5
Companies using SystemC

• Nokia
• Infineon Technology AG
• Motorola
• Intel
• HP
• Texas Instruments

6
Nokia

• Modelling networks on mobile platforms
• Basic block approach (like LEGO)
• Combine blocks (SpaceWire)
• Build own Network-Simulator from scratch
• Start with SystemC 2.0.1
• Extended to mySystemC

7
Infineon Technology AG

• Impact of different Datatypes on performance
• Appropriate type-selection gains 2x and more
  simulation speed improvements
• Available libraries provide almost all needed
  features
• Gcc-version has almost no impact on speedup

8
Motorola

• Early systems architecture exploration
• Corner case study
• Design change impact evaluation

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Calls for Improvement (Motorola)

• Enhance model components portability
• Data flow interface
• Generic TLM bus interface preserving accuracy and
  providing flexibility in bus models selection
• Inter-module functional communication and
  simulation flow control
• Off-module process triggering and dynamic
  parameters sharing
• User interface
• Model components configuration
• Simulation result representation
• User-friendly

10
Intel

• Modeling interconnect non-processor components
• Architecture models (Architects View)
• Functional models (Programmers View)
• Above are mixed and integrated with processor
  models for
• Architecture exploration
• Early software development
• Early (post-Si) system validation readiness
• Early RTL verification
• Testbench and test development (with ESL DUT)
• Application of system-level stimulus
• Co-simulation
• Co-emulation
• Testbenches primarily developed in SystemVerilog

11
HP

• SystemC Usage
• RTL Verification
• Modeling (UTF,TF, BA/CA)
• System Simulation (no RTL)
• FW development on SW model
• Architectural Verification
• Deployment of System Verilog
• Applications
• Enterprise Level Servers
• Embedded Processors
• ASSPs
• Algorithms (FFT, DCT, Wireless, etc.)

• Reasons for SystemC
• Non proprietary, IEEE Std., LRM
• Industry Support
• TLM, AVM, SCV, etc.
• Proven capabilities
• Cost Effective

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Calls for Improvement (HP)

• Mixed Signal Libraries
• Topology / Configuration generation (similar to
  generate function)
• More Academic Proliferation
• Keep entry price low (benefits start ups, small
  companies)
• More industry donations
• Tools to support higher abstraction (formal
  verification, advanced assertions)
• Increase interactions with System Verilog(common
  TLM APIs?)

13
Texas Instruments

• Usage Areas
• High level architectural modeling (PV/PVT)
• Low level architectural/SoC modeling (CC)
• Synthesis (experimental)
• Internal SystemC user group meetings
• Bus models, CPU models, peripheral models,
  configuration, statistics, debug

14
Call for Improvements (TI)

• SystemC has poor support for asynchronous events
• Interrups/resets/power-downs
• Cooperative co-routines/threads
• For full support would require every method and
  every thread to add async events to their
  sensitivity lists
• Possible to use, but very inconvenient
• Need kernel support

15
Conclusion

• Missing features / libraries
• Still in initial stage
• Not for every kind of simulation
• Personal impression Would like to use, but...

16
Thank you!
17
References

• IEEE 1666 Standard
• http//standards.ieee.org/getieee/1666/download/16
  66-2005.pdf
• Tools
• http//www.asic-world.com/systemc/tools.html
• European SystemC Users Group
• http//www-ti.informatik.uni-tuebingen.de/systemc
  /systemc.html
• Wikipedia.org
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systemc
• ASIC-World
• http//www.asic-world.com/systemc/
• SystemC Community
• http//www.systemc.org
• Mentor Graphics
• http//www.mentor.com/products/