Virtualizer Enables Faraday Design Services’ Customers to Start Software Development up to 12 Months before Hardware Availability
Highlights:
- Synopsys Virtualizer enables Faraday to quickly create and deliver Virtualizer Development Kits (VDKs) to its customers
- VDKs are software development kits that use a virtual prototype as a target to accelerate software development, integration and test
- TLM Creator, part of Virtualizer, speeds creation of transaction-level models (TLMs) used to build virtual prototypes for Faraday’s IP portfolio
Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS), a global leader providing software, IP and services used to accelerate innovation in chips and electronic systems, 
today announced that Faraday has selected Synopsys’ Virtualizer™ tool for the development of VDKs targeting a range of multimedia, networking and display SoC designs. VDKs are software development kits that use a virtual prototype as a target to accelerate embedded software development, integration and test. As Faraday expands the breadth of its SoC design services to include software development tools, they are relying on Synopsys’ virtual prototyping solution to create VDKs to help their customers accelerate software development up to 12 months before hardware availability.
The Virtualizer virtual prototyping solution is an integral part of Synopsys’ comprehensive solution of tools, models and services for early software development and hardware/software integration. Virtualizer is a suite of tools used for the development, deployment and use of virtual prototypes. Virtualizer addresses the increasing software complexity associated with advanced semiconductor development by enabling the efficient and early creation of SystemC-based TLMs of subsystems. Software developers can assemble the TLMs into virtual prototypes, representing complete systems up to a year before silicon is available.
“As the complexity of ARM-based SoCs increases, the amount of software to support these designs grows exponentially,” said Ken Liao, associate vice president of digital system & platform at Faraday Technology. “To help customers shorten time-to-market, Faraday develops the virtual prototypes with IP models for customers’ early software development. We chose Synopsys’ Virtualizer to facilitate our development for its recognized reputation and wide-adoption in the market. With Faraday’s virtual prototypes, the software can be developed and verified before RTL and FPGA prototypes are available, simultaneously with the hardware development.”
TLM Creator, part of Virtualizer, accelerates the creation of SystemC TLM models. TLM Creator imports the necessary model interface and structural information and generates a TLM-based template model, which the user can tailor to the desired model behavior. With Virtualizer, Faraday is able to quickly create a comprehensive set of TLMs for its IP as well as VDKs for any combination of its IP.
“The continued rise of software in SoC designs requires sophisticated software development, debug and analysis tools,” said John Koeter, vice president of marketing for IP and prototyping at Synopsys. “By using Virtualizer, Faraday efficiently delivers VDKs that enable its SoC design customers to start software development and debug earlier, achieve higher product quality and accelerate their time to market.”
