Codesign of Embedded Systems: Status and Trends

Ever increasing embedded system design complexity combined with a very tight time-to-market window has revolutionized the embedded-system design process. The concurrent design of hardware and software has displaced traditional sequential design. Further, hardware and software design now begins before the system architecture (or even the specification) is finalised. System architects, customers, and marketing departments develop requirement definitions and system specifications together. System architects define a system architecture consisting of cooperating system functions that form the basis of concurrent hardware and software design. Interface design requires the participation of both hardware and software developers. The next step integrates and tests hardware and software-this phase consists of many individual steps. Reusing components taken from previous designs or acquired from outside the design group is a main design goal to improve productivity and reduce design risk. It is argued that new methodologies and AD tools support an integrated hardware software codesign process