Hardware/software IP integration using the ROSES design environment

Abstract

Considering current time-to-market pressures, IP reuse is mandatory for the design of complex embedded systems-on-chip (SoC). The integration of IP components into a given design is the most complex task in the whole reuse process. This paper describes the IP integration approach implemented in the ROSES design environment, which presents a unique combination of features that enhance IP reuse: automatic assembly of interfaces between heterogeneous software and hardware IP components; easy adaptation to different on-chip communication structures and bus and core standards; generation of customized and minimal OSs for programmable components; and an architecture-independent high-level API embedded into SystemC that makes application software independent from system implementation. Application code is written by using communication functions available in this API. ROSES automatically assembles wrappers that implement these functions, such that the application code does not need to be modified in order to run in the final synthesized system.