VHDL-A management overview

The tutorial begins with an outline of the motivation for the development of VHDL. The problems of parts obsolescence and system complexity are enunciated and a hardware description language is proposed as a means of overcoming the problems. There is a demonstration of VHDL meeting the requirements of a HDL namely-communication, modeling capabilities, and semantic completeness. The modeling capabilities of VHDL are brought out through a set of examples. Next, the evolution of VHDL is traced. Next, there is a broad treatment of the various IEEE forums involved in the continuing development of the language. The focus of these groups in promoting the use and understanding of the language, examining aspects such as intermediate format, modeling, standards, and test vector generation, correcting existing anomalies and introducing extensions for synthesis and analog simulation, is brought out. Finally, a detailed overview of the currently available VHDL products is provided