AXYS Announces Breakthrough in SystemC Simulation; New MaxSim 5.0 Enables Full-Chip SystemC 2.0 Simulations in Megacycles Per Second With On-the-Fly HW and SW Debugging and Profiling.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 17, 2004 AXYS(R) Design Automation, Inc., the leading provider of electronic system-level simulation and debugging (programming) debugging - The process of attempting to determine the cause of the symptoms of malfunctions in a program or other system. These symptoms may be detected during testing or use by real users. solutions, today announced the newest release of its popular MaxSim(TM) tool for architecture exploration, hardware and software verification Software verification is a broad and complex discipline of software engineering whose goal is to assure that a software fully satisfies all the expected requirements. There are two fundamental approaches to verification:
The high speed of MaxSim 5.0 allows system and hardware architects to pinpoint the optimum architecture quickly and accurately, and deliver very fast virtual prototypes to the software developers and system integrators long before the RTL (Register Transfer Level) A high-level hardware description language (HDL) for defining digital circuits. The circuits are described as a collection of registers, Boolean equations, control logic such as "if-then-else" statements as well as complex event sequences; is finalized or chip samples become available. Full-chip MaxSim virtual prototypes typically simulate seconds of real-time in the order of minutes enabling the software developers to test their code on complete applications with real-life stimuli. Hard-to-find hardware and software bugs are removed early minimizing the chances for costly chip re-spins or product recalls. Using SystemC and MaxSim allows system architects, hardware designers, and software developers to achieve efficient communication with fast turn-around times -- significantly increasing productivity and thereby shortening time-to-market for the final product. "MaxSim 5.0 is the result of close collaboration between AXYS and its leading customers. Once again, the AXYS team has proven the ability to carefully listen and react promptly. MaxSim offers unprecedented SystemC simulation speed, unique on-the-fly hardware and software debugging and profiling capabilities, and the largest library of SystemC models in the industry. The tool is properly positioned to continue the landslide adoption within the rapidly growing electronic system-level community," commented Vojin Zivojnovic, President & CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of AXYS. MaxSim supports the full SystemC 2.0 language for unrestricted modeling at different abstraction levels using a variety of user-defined modeling styles, including event-driven, cycle-accurate, and cycle-approximate. Its graphical user interface graphical user interface (GUI) Computer display format that allows the user to select commands, call up files, start programs, and do other routine tasks by using a mouse to point to pictorial symbols (icons) or lists of menu choices on the screen as opposed to having to allows drag-and-drop development of sophisticated system models without the need for C or C++ compilation. New user-defined component models are easily added in a plug-and-play fashion using the built-in SystemC component wizard. Although fully SystemC compliant, MaxSim does not require familiarity with the SystemC language, thereby significantly lowering the barrier to entry for new users of different backgrounds. Full state visibility of processor, bus, memory and peripheral resources and execution control are provided through MaxSim's debug To correct a problem in hardware or software. Debugging software means locating the errors in the source code (the program logic). Debugging hardware means finding errors in the circuit design (logical circuits) or in the physical interconnections of the circuits. API (Application Programming Interface) A language and message format used by an application program to communicate with the operating system or some other control program such as a database management system (DBMS) or communications protocol. . MaxSim supports many popular software debuggers and includes a rich set of built-in debug features. These features include disassembly dis·as·sem·ble v. dis·as·sem·bled, dis·as·sem·bling, dis·as·sem·bles v.tr. To take apart: disassemble a toaster. v.intr. 1. , registers, and memory views as well as system level debugging features such as transaction animation, monitoring, and breakpoints. The integrated waveform The shape of a signal. See wavelength, sine wave and square wave. viewer allows tracing of transactions, signals, and registers while the built-in save and restore functionality facilitates efficient OS driver development. Integrated profiling support offers sophisticated bus, cache, and software profiling. All debugging and profiling functions act on-the-fly allowing the user to have continuous visibility while maintaining full control over the simulation process. MaxSim also offers powerful integration options, both with RTL simulators as well as high level tools, perfectly fitting into any design flow. As previous MaxSim versions, MaxSim 5.0 is available on Windows2000/XP, Linux Red Hat and Solaris OS platforms in form of perpetual or subscription licenses. About AXYS Design Automation, Inc. AXYS(R) Design Automation, Inc. is a provider of fast, accurate, and integrated processor and SoC (System-on-Chip) modeling and simulation solutions for the development of high software content SoC devices. The use of AXYS' tools in the pre-silicon phase substantially shortens the SoC design cycle by enabling early system integration and embedded software development, thus reducing NRE (Non-Recurring Engineering) Refers to the cost of creating a new product, which is paid up front. Contrast with "production cost," which is ongoing and based on the quantity of material produced. cost and time to market. The MaxSim(TM) Developer Suite enables modeling and verification of multi-core SoC designs. The MaxCore(R) Developer Suite is a toolset for LISA The first personal computer to include integrated software and use a graphical interface. Modeled after the Xerox Star and introduced in 1983 by Apple, it was ahead of its time, but never caught on due to its $10,000 price and slow speed. based processor architecture description and automatic generation of processor models and software development tools. MaxLib(R) is AXYS' growing library of models for popular SoC components. For more information, visit the AXYS web site at http://www.axysdesign.com. AXYS, MaxCore and MaxLib are registered trademarks and MaxSim is a trademark of AXYS Design Automation, Inc. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners. |
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