HW/SW co-simulation platforms for VLSI design

Hardware/software co-simulation integrates software simulation and hardware simulation simultaneously. HW/SW co-simulation platforms can facilitate debugging and verification for VLSI design. In this paper, two hardware/software co-simulation platforms are proposed. The first solution is a large-scale platform which supports complex VLSI co-simulation. The hardware part of design under test (DUT) is executed on a real hardware sub-system. And stimuli signals are imposed on the DUT in a parallel style. The second solution enhances traditional HW/SW co-simulation mechanism by supporting Ethernet-based remote co-simulation. Two interconnected subsystems, local subsystem and remote subsystem, communicate with each other through TCP/IP protocol for data transmission. Local subsystem is typically a workstation or a computer with software environment running on it. The remote subsystem is implemented on an embedded processor and FPGAs, in which the DUT and a stimulus generator and response capturer module are integrated. These platforms are proved flexible and efficient for VLSI design.