ESL Tool Suite Beefs Up Its Software Analysis Side

Nov. 7, 2005

ACCORDING TO research results, 52% of embedded system designs miss their scheduled completion dates. Why? The complexity of their architectures makes early analysis too hard for Excel spreadsheets. By exclusively licensing CARDTools Systems' NitroVP

David Maliniak

According to research results, 52% of embedded system designs miss their scheduled completion dates. Why? The complexity of their architectures makes early analysis too hard for Excel spreadsheets.

By exclusively licensing CARDTools Systems' NitroVP to complement its existing System Architect ESL suite, Summit has put together a package that facilitates hardware/software codevelopment at a stage that's early enough to avoid needless iteration and redesign.

The combination of NitroVP and System Architect can address the partitioning of hardware and software. System Architect facilitates building a performance model of the system for analysis of architectural tradeoffs. It provides the right level of accuracy for this stage of development so runtimes aren't bloated.

NitroVP focuses on the software. It models hardware/software interaction, allowing designers to determine, for example, whether they have implemented too many hardware interrupts. It facilitates evaluation of various RTOSs and software scheduling algorithms.

Summit has internal versions of System Architect and NitroVP running together, with availability for the pair scheduled for early 2006.

Summit Design
www.sd.com

About the Author

David Maliniak | MWRF Executive Editor

In his long career in the B2B electronics-industry media, David Maliniak has held editorial roles as both generalist and specialist. As Components Editor and, later, as Editor in Chief of EE Product News, David gained breadth of experience in covering the industry at large. In serving as EDA/Test and Measurement Technology Editor at Electronic Design, he developed deep insight into those complex areas of technology. Most recently, David worked in technical marketing communications at Teledyne LeCroy. David earned a B.A. in journalism at New York University.