Aptix, ARM and Agilent Introduce an Integrated SoC Validation Platform for Embedded System Design

Business Wire, April 10, 2001

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

Embedded Systems Conference

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 10, 2001

Platform Targets Embedded HW/SW Co-design,

Including Wireless Applications

San Jose-based Aptix Corporation, a prototyping and verification company, whose products are used to verify embedded system-on-chip (SoC) designs, ARM (LSE:ARM)(Nasdaq:ARMHY), the industry's leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC processor technology and Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) announced today that they have co-operated and developed a validation platform to address the needs of embedded system designers. The new validation platform allows for faster `out-of-the-box' design validation of embedded systems using ARM(R) core-based microprocessors.

The integrated platform reduces design validation time from months to days and uses products from Aptix, ARM and Agilent. The platform includes Aptix's System Explorer(TM) or Software Integration Station(TM) with its new interface to ARM's widely-used Integrator(TM) SoC development platforms, the ARM Integrator ASIC development platform with Core Modules and Agilent's logic and Trace Port Analyzer.

"Our goal is to reduce time to market for embedded system designers," said Dr. Amr Mosen, Aptix chairman and CEO. "The combination of our technologies gives customers an integrated validation platform for hardware, firmware and applications software co-development. This offers a significant breakthrough for time-critical embedded systems including automotive, consumer and wireless applications such as WCDMA, Bluetooth or 802.11."

"Our customers need the best design tools to achieve faster validation of their ARM core-based embedded systems," said Gordon Stubberfield, product manager, ARM. "The combination of Aptix's verification systems interfaced to ARM's Integrator Core Modules combined with Agilent's analyzers helps them to achieve their goals."

"Logic analyzers and trace-port analyzers provide design teams with visibility into system behavior. Agilent's solutions, when coupled with the Aptix System Explorer, enable customers to monitor nodes that would normally be hidden from designers," said Alois Hauk, VP of Agilent's Design Validation group. "Both hardware and software engineers benefit from internal visibility. Both the logic and trace port analyzers can be used during final system validation as well."

Benefits

Open, Fast, Lower Cost Replicates for SW Validation

The SoC validation platform's openness allows it to include DSP cores, bus interfaces such as USB and PCI, as well as hardware, software and existing and future ARM processor cores. At 20MHz, the speed is the fastest available for validation of ARM core-based SoCs. Each ARM Integrator evaluation board supports up to four ARM core modules, and each System Explorer from Aptix can accommodate 10 ARM Integrator boards. Members of the software team can use the lower cost (desktop) Software Integration Station from Aptix in place Aptix's System Explorer.

Better Debugging -- Bridging the Gap Between HW and SW Design

To isolate bugs, Aptix's propriety incremental debugging technology allows each FPGA node of the embedded system that is represented in the Aptix System Explorer to be visible and viewed by an Agilent logic analyzer. Using the unique trigger in/out feature of the Agilent Trace Port Analyzer, cross triggering between the HW and SW is possible. This allows HW triggers to cause SW breakpoints and SW breakpoints to trigger the Logic Analyzer. Once stopped the ARM core's execution and the state of the SoC designs logic may be viewed.

About ARM Cores

A major strength of the ARM range of microprocessor cores lies in the fact that the processor families share a common base architecture. This ensures that developers gain the maximum return on time invested in software development as they move up the performance scale to faster processors, while maintaining full backward compatibility.

This full system compatibility ensures that development and verification tools will continue to be compatible with future new cores introduced to the range.

About Aptix Products

The System Explorer from Aptix uses the latest Xilinx technology and is a single-board emulation platform for integration and validation of intellectual property (IP) and software in SoC designs. Multi-MHz operating speed enables near real-time, in-system verification. Co-simulation interfaces link to popular simulators. The small form factor and low cost enables emulation to be applied in ways that were previously impossible.

The Software Integration Station from Aptix allows software developers to start code development and integration as soon as hardware designers have a prototype version of their design ready. With it, boot code, drivers, diagnostics and test programs can be developed and debugged before silicon is available.

About Agilent Products

The Agilent E5904B is an integrated JTAG emulator and Trace Port Analyzer that combines tools for run control, code download, register access, and real-time execution trace for a complete debug environment. This tool supports the ARM Real-Time Trace(TM) software and RealMonitor(TM) software for full speed real-time system debug of ASICs that include the ARM7(TM) or ARM9(TM) family microprocessor cores with the ARM Embedded Trace Macrocell(TM).