ABSTRACT

Although the TLM development and usage only require a C++ development environment and a SystemC library, design automation is the key to integrating TLM in the SoC design flow for further reaping the design productivity and quality rewards brought by TLM. This chapter explains how TLM has been integrated in the design flow at STMicroelectronics both by extending the SPIRIT XML packaging standard to support TLM and by developing the tools needed to integrate TLM in the flow.

KEY WORDS

SPIRIT; SystemC TLM; SoC; design flow; design automation; XML; data model and schema; platform assembly; meta-level; content-level; configurator; generator; netlister; IP packaging; platform generation.

1. INTRODUCTION

The minimum tool and library requirements for the TLM methodology are simply a C++ development environment and SystemC classes. A flawless integration of the TLM methodology into the SoC design flow, however, entails further tools and libraries implementations. This chapter describes at length the necessary accompanying implementations to make the best use of the TLM methodology in the SoC design cycle.

This goal is attainable through establishing and enforcing a standard automation strategy to integrate the TLM methodology into the essential phases of the SoC design flow. The TLM assembly should therefore adopt an automation approach ranging from the design database to editor, configurator, checker, and netlister.

From a given design database, TLM components are instantiated,...