Design Rights Management of Intellectual Property (IP) Cores in SoPC designs
By Jerome Rampon, Renaud Perillat-Amédée, Gael Paul (Algodone), Lionel Torrès (Université Montpellier 2)
Abstract
This paper presents a Design Rights Management methodology used in a practical EDA tool suite: IP-Idol, developed by the start-up Algodone, based in Montpellier-France. It consists to encrypt and decrypt Hardware Description Language models (following IEEE 1735 and part of IEEE 1800 standards) of some Intellectual Property Cores (IP) in SoPC (System on Programmable Chip) with a strategy model where Algodone plays the role of a trusted third party. In a context of extending IP-Reuse market in design conception, the main objective of this tool suite is to strengthen the security of Intellectual Property Cores and simplify the interoperability between IP vendors, IP customers and EDA tool vendors. It proposes a better management of Design Rights associated to IP Cores including traceability efforts from the final designs of IP customers back to IP vendors. This work has been developed conjointly between the company Algodone based in Montpellier, France and the University of Montpellier 2, France.