Xilinx delivers world's first FPGA-based DSP software tool with JTAG interface.

Xilinx, Inc. (Nasdaq:XLNX) has announced that it is shipping its next generation System Generator for DSP tool v.6.1--the industry's most popular DSP software platform for FPGAs. The new tool now includes a unique capability that allows designers to link their custom boards via a generic JTAG interface and dramatically reduce overall simulation time. Designers can also perform real-time signal capture for debugging at system speeds with new easy access to the Xilinx ChipScope Pro tool. Additionally, the company is releasing an enhanced version of its XtremeDSP Development Kit that supports hardware co-simulation using the new System Generator for DSP tool. With today's news, Xilinx is providing DSP designers who require very high performance digital signal processing, with the world's most powerful DSP design environment for FPGAs.

"The Xilinx System Generator for DSP tool gives our Simulink customers an unrivaled capability to accelerate and verify their real-time signal processing designs," said Ken Karnofsky, marketing director for DSP & Communications at The MathWorks. "The new tool also gives our customers a tremendous choice of FPGA-based boards to target, a unique capability from Xilinx."

The new System Generator for DSP tool radically reduces simulation time and simplifies the overall design process. The tool allows designers to easily incorporate their FPGA hardware directly into The MathWork's Simulink(R) tool using a JTAG interface. At the push of a button, a designer can automatically generate a FPGA bit-stream from the Simulink tool and incorporate the FPGA back into the system level simulation as a run-time block. This revolutionary approach dramatically simplifies FPGA-based DSP design--an approach that previously was the exclusive domain of far more expensive emulation systems.

Developed in conjunction with Nallatech, the enhanced Xilinx XtremeDSP Development Kit supports 14-bit (MSPS) A/D converters and D/A converters and a three million gate, 2V3000 FPGA. The kit is ideal for implementing real-time reconfigurable signal processing systems and seamlessly supports hardware co-simulation with the System Generator for DSP tool via its PCI interface.

As a major component in simplifying the overall design process, the System Generator for DSP tool now also allows designers to insert ChipScope Internal Logic Analyzer (ILA) probes directly into the system model to debug and verify internal signals within the FPGA at or near system operating speeds.

The System Generator for DSP v6.1 tool is available now for use with all leading-edge Xilinx FPGA families including the Virtex-II Pro and Spartan-3 families. The System Generator for DSP tool is priced at $1995 and the XtremeDSP Development Kit is priced at $2495. Xilinx is offering a System Generator for DSP tool/XtremeDSP Development Kit bundle for a priced of $3490.