This book discusses the design and performance analysis of SDRAM controllers that cater to both real-time and best-effort applications, i.e. mixed-time-criticality memory controllers. The authors describe the state of the art, and then focus on an architecture template for reconfigurable memory controllers that addresses effectively the quickly evolving set of SDRAM standards, in terms of worst-case timing and power analysis, as well as implementation. A prototype implementation of the controller in SystemC and synthesizable VHDL for an FPGA development board are used as a proof of concept of the architecture template.

The book provides a comprehensive description and implementation methodology for the Philips/NXP Aethereal/aelite Network-on-Chip (NoC). The presentation offers a systems perspective, starting from the system requirements and deriving and describing the resulting hardware architectures, embedded software, and accompanying design flow. Readers get an in depth view of the interconnect requirements, not centered only on performance and scalability, but also the multi-faceted, application-driven requirements, in particular composability and predictability. The book shows how these qualitative requirements are implemented in a state-of-the-art on-chip interconnect, and presents the realistic, quantitative costs.

The design of today's semiconductor chips for various applications, such as telecommunications, poses various challenges due to the complexity of these systems. These highly complex systems-on-chips demand new approaches to connect and manage the communication between on-chip processing and storage components and networks on chips (NoCs) provide a powerful solution.
This book is the first to provide a unified overview of NoC technology. It includes in-depth analysis of all the on-chip communication challenges, from physical wiring implementation up to software architecture, and a complete classification of their various Network-on-Chip approaches and solutions.
* Leading-edge research from world-renowned experts in academia and industry with state-of-the-art technology implementations/trends
* An integrated presentation not currently available in any other book
* A thorough introduction to current design methodologies and chips designed with NoCs

This book describes an approach and supporting infrastructure to facilitate debugging the silicon implementation of a System-on-Chip (SOC), allowing its associated product to be introduced into the market more quickly.Readers learn step-by-step the key requirements for debugging a modern, silicon SOC implementation, nine factors that complicate this debugging task, and a new debug approach that addresses these requirements and complicating factors.The authors novel communication-centric, scan-based, abstraction-based, run/stop-based (CSAR) debug approach is discussed in detail, showing how it helps to meet debug requirements and address the nine, previously identified factors that complicate debugging silicon implementations of SOCs. The authors also derive the debug infrastructure requirements to support debugging of a silicon implementation of an SOC with their CSAR debug approach. This debug infrastructure consists of a generic on-chip debug architecture, a configurable automated design-for-debug flow to be used during the design of an SOC, and customizable off-chip debugger software. Coverage includes an evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of the CSAR approach and its supporting infrastructure, using six industrial SOCs and an illustrative, example SOC model.The authors also quantify the hardware cost and design effort to support their approach.
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Verification of real-time requirements in systems-on-chip becomes more complex as more applications are integrated. Predictable and composable systems can manage the increasing complexity using formal verification and simulation. This book explains the concepts of predictability and composability and shows how to apply them to the design and analysis of a memory controller, which is a key component in any real-time system.

This book discusses the design and performance analysis of SDRAM controllers that cater to both real-time and best-effort applications, i.e. mixed-time-criticality memory controllers. The authors describe the state of the art, and then focus on an architecture template for reconfigurable memory controllers that addresses effectively the quickly evolving set of SDRAM standards, in terms of worst-case timing and power analysis, as well as implementation. A prototype implementation of the controller in SystemC and synthesizable VHDL for an FPGA development board are used as a proof of concept of the architecture template.

This book describes an approach and supporting infrastructure to facilitate debugging the silicon implementation of a System-on-Chip (SOC), allowing its associated product to be introduced into the market more quickly. Readers learn step-by-step the key requirements for debugging a modern, silicon SOC implementation, nine factors that complicate this debugging task, and a new debug approach that addresses these requirements and complicating factors. The authors' novel communication-centric, scan-based, abstraction-based, run/stop-based (CSAR) debug approach is discussed in detail, showing how it helps to meet debug requirements and address the nine, previously identified factors that complicate debugging silicon implementations of SOCs. The authors also derive the debug infrastructure requirements to support debugging of a silicon implementation of an SOC with their CSAR debug approach. This debug infrastructure consists of a generic on-chip debug architecture, a configurable automated design-for-debug flow to be used during the design of an SOC, and customizable off-chip debugger software. Coverage includes an evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of the CSAR approach and its supporting infrastructure, using six industrial SOCs and an illustrative, example SOC model. The authors also quantify the hardware cost and design effort to support their approach.

Verification of real-time requirements in systems-on-chip becomes more complex as more applications are integrated. Predictable and composable systems can manage the increasing complexity using formal verification and simulation. This book explains the concepts of predictability and composability and shows how to apply them to the design and analysis of a memory controller, which is a key component in any real-time system.

The book provides a comprehensive description and implementation methodology for the Philips/NXP Aethereal/aelite Network-on-Chip (NoC). The presentation offers a systems perspective, starting from the system requirements and deriving and describing the resulting hardware architectures, embedded software, and accompanying design flow. Readers get an in depth view of the interconnect requirements, not centered only on performance and scalability, but also the multi-faceted, application-driven requirements, in particular composability and predictability. The book shows how these qualitative requirements are implemented in a state-of-the-art on-chip interconnect, and presents the realistic, quantitative costs.