Xilinx Automates Design

Online staff -- Electronic News, 9/20/2004

Looking to simplify the process of system-level design without affecting the flexibility of the tools, Xilinx is offering a new version of its Platform Studio for system-level embedded processing design on the company's platform FPGAs.

Version 6.3i automates a number of architecture-level design steps and offers a new software environment based on the Eclipse integrated design environment that software designers often use.

The new version offers wizards to automate processes, but allows designers to view and edit the code after it is generated, providing the deep level of flexibility even with automation.

All Xilinx embedded processor solutions are supported including MicroBlaze, the PowerPC cores and other hard and soft processors. The product also enables system-level design across the company's product line, including the newest family, Virtex-4.

Xilinx said the new product will speed up time to market by helping designers accomplish tasks that used to take days, weeks or months in just a matter of minutes.

"We are doing this to make software easier," said Tim Erjavec, senior manager for programmable systems. "We've enhanced the flow, we've given users the opportunity to design in what they've been designing in – the Eclipse environment, and we've kept the backward compatibility. Software programmers don't have to learn anything new. We are learning their language."