Intended to facilitate optimizing of WiMAX SoC designs, a WiMAX reference library has been integrated into CoWare’s Signal Processing Designer (SPD) tool suite. The library, which covers IEEE 802.16/16e standards, enables SoC design teams using CoWare’s platform-driven ESL design suite to make a large dent in time-to-market.
The library provides ready-to-use reference systems, all delivered with source code, from which design teams can begin to add their particular implementations and optimize them in the overall system context by executing SPD simulations on a server farm. After that, SPD can package an entire subsystem into a SystemC peripheral model for CoWare Platform Architect, where it is used for SoC platform exploration and validation. Further, algorithms designed with SPD can be implemented as programmable accelerators using CoWare Processor Designer.
CoWare’s WiMAX reference library includes all orthogonal-frequency-division-multiple-access (OFDMA) mechanisms in a form that’s ready for use by designers. The inclusion of these mechanisms can cut the time required to get from a written specification to a working reference simulation by three months. The alternative is to have a team of two or three engineers develop all OFDMA models from scratch.
Unlike other wireless access standards, such as ITU/3GPP’s 3G cellular standard, the IEEE’s 802.16/16e standard doesn’t come with a clear set of minimum quality-of-service (QoS) targets. Optimization of the WiMAX receiver system across the full range of possible scenarios is a daunting task that must be accomplished long before working silicon is available. CoWare’s SPD suite, coupled with the WiMAX reference library, helps automate this task through early availability of reference models.
The SPD WiMAX library is available now starting at $18,000 for a one-year subscription. A free trial version can be downloaded from the CoWare website.
For more information, visit www.coware.com