Abstract
Flexible ASIC (FlexASIC) is a concept for a System-on-Chip (SoC) architecture developed at the Ericsson Microelectronics Design Centre in Kista, Stockholm. It allows integration of several customized DSP cores on one SoC ASIC. The processors are assembled from a library of general core building blocks that together with one or several tailor- made hardware building blocks, forms the customized DSP core. The processors are supported by several software development tools including a C compiler, an assembler, a linker and a simulator with debugging capabilities. This thesis work focus on the simulator.

The present simulator allows cycle accurate simulation and debugging of a FlexASIC DSP core program. The property of cycle accuracy means that a program instruction taking n clock cycles to execute on the actual DSP hardware, will be reported as taking n clock cycles when simulated. In its current form, the simulator is in the order of 20000 times slower than the target processor. This often means many hours of simulation.

The scope of this thesis work has been to investigate if it is possible to construct a new simulator model which is significantly faster than the present one by removing the constraint of cycle accuracy. This new simulator would not replace the present one, but rather be a complementary model. This thesis work also includes a partial implementation of a new model.

Tomas has worked with optimizing a DSP simulator at Ericsson, and is examined by Jakob Engblom of the ASTEC/WCET project.

Do not miss the seminar by Martin Carlsson starting at 13.15 in the same room.

ASTEC seminar
March 19, 2002

Place: Information technology, Uppsala University
Room: 6003
Time: 14.15-15.00 (+ discussions)

Room 6003 is in building 6, floor 1, room "143 Seminarierum" on construction drawing, enter via the MIC-aula entree.