( ELSE 06 Item 3 ) --------------------------------------------- [ 06/23/06 ]
Subject: Target Compiler Checkers/Chess, Critical Blue
DEJA VU OR NOT? -- These guys sell a tool that creates C compilers for your
custom processor architecture that you describe in their proprietary nML
language and (I'm not exactly sure here) they might also create a custom
processor that's tailored to your C application (a la Synfora or TenSilica).
The user quotes are conflicting here and my visit to the Target Compiler
web site only managed to confuse me more.
Target Compiler sells a suite for developing compilers etc. for new
processors. The processor must be described in their own language.
It creates the compiler, linker, etc. plus the HDL ISS simulator and
debugger, plus a test program for the processor. They say they also
support ASIPs better than their competition and allow highly parallel
architectures.
- John Weiland of Intrinsix Corp.
I've been using Target Compiler's tools to develop custom application
specific cores for almost 5 years. I consider them to be a mature tool
now. We have 4 custom processors in production. All the processors
I've made with it have been first time right. The nice thing about
these processors is even if there's something in an instruction that
might not be 100% correct, there is usually overlap and the deficiency
can be overcome by a different sequence of instructions. ...so when I
say first time right, I mean that there has been no major issues and
all minor ones (i.e. status flag set incorrectly) can be handled with
simple firmware code fixes.
We've not found any issues with their GO tool that creates faulty
VHDL/Verilog. Any issue can be traced back to your source nML.
The speed at which we can turn out a custom core using their toolset,
and with only 2 engineers (one writing nML/RTL and the other verifying),
still astonishes me.
When writing your nML, their Checkers/Chess tool set does so many checks
that if it compiles, it is generally working. The tools also point out
places to optimize your nML, instruction encoding, pipelining, etc...
Their tool support is the best I've ever dealt with. Even as they've
reached more users, the support has not suffered. Any issues with a
tool release we've ever had has been solved within a day.
On all our processor projects, we've taken someone new to Target, ramped
them up on Checkers/Chess and released a first version of the processor
running on an FPGA in less than 6 months. The processor development has
not been the critical path on any of the ASICs that were released. I
believe that this can be attributed to Target Compilers excellent tool
suite.
- Benton Watson of Gennum Corp
We have some algorithm developers and designers looking at Catapult C.
Too soon to tell but looks promising.
Target Compiler: great tools for people who want to roll their own
processors. Excellent tools, excellent support, excellent results.
Need I say more?
- [ An Anon Engineer ]
I've been using Target Compiler Chess/Checkers tool set for year and a
half now. In the past I designed DSP processor core by hand... RTL
coding and it took 5-6 designers and 18 months to have some RTL sims
running. With Target's tool I designed two processor cores (one RISK
type and another VLIW type) in 9 months from the day I saw nML for the
first time to the tapeout.
nML is their HDL-type of language that allows to efficiently describe
processor architecture; C-model of the processor allows ISS simulation
early in the design cycle, so software/algorithm designers have a chance
to start before hardware is finalized.
Randomized test generation was used to improve test coverage of the core.
Target's support was and still is excellent. That played important role
in my success.
I recommend Target Compiler's tools set as an efficient way to deliver
application specific processor cores in a demanding time constrained
environment.
- Tom Skrzeszewski of Gennum Corp
Critical Blue sells software to automate creating a coprocessor. First
you profile your code running on an ARM and identify commonly used
functions. Add cycle times and constraints and the tool creates a
coprocessor for your ARM.
- John Weiland of Intrinsix Corp.
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