Latest Synopsys Virtualizer Release Accelerates Creation and Deployment of VDKs for Software Development

New TLM Subsystem Flow and Eclipse IDE Integration Speed VDK Availability for Software Developers

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Oct. 1, 2013 -- Synopsys, Inc. , a global leader providing software, IP and services used to accelerate innovation in chips and electronic systems, today announced availability of the latest release of its Virtualizer™ tool set for creating Virtualizer Development Kits (VDKs), software development kits which use virtual prototypes to accelerate embedded software development, debugging and optimization. The new Virtualizer release speeds VDK development by enabling more efficient collaboration among modeling teams, along with easier management and exchange of virtual prototypes for complex designs. In addition, this latest version of Synopsys Virtualizer seamlessly integrates with the Eclipse standard for out-of-the-box support with existing software debuggers based on the Eclipse IDE, such as the ARM® DS-5™ toolchain. The plug-and-play nature of the Eclipse framework preserves users' familiarity with existing debug environments while increasing overall development productivity to benefit from VDKs for early software development up to 12 months before hardware availability.

"Early software development on virtual prototypes has become critical to meet the time-to-market requirements of modern SoC designs," said Hobson Bullman, deputy general manager, systems design division, ARM. "The VDK Eclipse integration with ARM DS-5 toolchain provides detailed visibility about the status of virtual prototypes. This helps software developers accelerate the debugging of complex software ahead of silicon availability."

The Virtualizer tool set is a suite of modular tools and technologies for the development and deployment of virtual prototypes. Virtualizer addresses the increasing software complexity associated with advanced semiconductor development by enabling the efficient and early creation of SystemC-based transaction-level models (TLMs) of subsystems, as well as the assembly of TLMs into virtual prototypes representing complete systems up to a year before silicon is available.

"Using Virtualizer, we can build a tighter and more advanced relationship with our semiconductor and IP supply chain," said Katsuhiko Yanagisawa, manager, controller platform development V group, Fuji Xerox. "This enables us to start software development of our target platform before SoC hardware is available."

VDK developers benefit from the new subsystem flow for easier sharing of subsystems between development teams. By bringing together all pieces of a system as a single virtual prototype for their SoC, software engineers are able to increase simulation speed by disabling components not required for specific software bring-up tasks.

"Software teams are increasingly employing agile development methodologies and rely on advanced tools like VDKs to help them improve productivity and mitigate risk," said John Koeter, vice president of marketing for IP and systems at Synopsys. "With the move towards tools based on the Eclipse IDE, this latest release of Virtualizer enables creation of VDKs that fit seamlessly into existing software development environments to instantly facilitate key benefits of virtual prototypes for early software development."

Availability & Resources

The new Virtualizer 13.06 release is available now.

About Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. accelerates innovation in the global electronics market. As a leader in electronic design automation (EDA) and semiconductor IP, Synopsys delivers software, IP and services to help engineers address their design, verification, system and manufacturing challenges. Since 1986, engineers around the world have been using Synopsys technology to design and create billions of chips and systems. Learn more at http://www.synopsys.com.