In Review: Xilinx SDSoC and Levels of Abstraction

The SDSoC development environment from Xilinx provides engineers and developers using Zynq SoC and MPSoC with a familiar C/C++ design environment, including a straightforward Eclipse IDE, expanded library, board, and design services ecosystem support.

In a recent article posted on the Xilinx blog, Part 196 of Adam Taylor's MicroZed Chronicles takes a good look at what SDSoC is, how it works and the benefits gained from using it.

Adam Taylor’s MicroZed Chronicles, Part 196: SDSoC and Levels of Abstraction

Originally posted by Xilinx Employee sleibso ‎05-22-2017 09:40 AM - edited ‎05-22-2017 10:28 AM 
Re-posted with permission.

We have looked at SDSoC several times throughout this series, however I recently organized and presented at the NMI FPGA Machine Vision event and during the coffee breaks and lunch, attendees showed considerable interest in SDSoC - not only for its use in the Xilinx reVISION acceleration stack but also its use in a range of over developments. As such, I thought it would be worth some time looking at what SDSoC is and the benefits we have previously gained using it. I also want to discuss a new use case.

SDSoC Development Environment

SDSoC is an Eclipse-based, system-optimizing compiler that allows us to develop our Zynq SoC or Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC design in its entirety using C or C++. We can then profile the application to find aspects that cause performance bottlenecks and move then into the Zynq device’s Programmable Logic (PL). SDSoC does this using HLS (High Level Synthesis) and a connectivity framework that’s transparent to the user. What this means is that we are able develop at a higher level of abstraction and hence reduce the time to market of the product or demonstration.

To do this, SDSoC needs a hardware platform, which can be pre-defined or custom. Typically, these platforms within the PL provide the basics: I/O interfaces and DMA transfers to and from Zynq device’s PS’ (Processing System’s) DDR SDRAM. This frees up most the PL resources and PL/PS interconnects to be used by SDSoC when it accelerates functions.

This ability to develop at a higher level and accelerate performance by moving functions into the PL enables us to produce very flexible and responsive systems. This blog has previously looked at acceleration examples including AES encryption, matrix multiplication, and FIR Filters. The reduction in execution time has been significant in these cases. Here’s a table of these previously discussed examples:

For more information on Xilinx Zynq MPSoC based hardware, the SDSoC environment or embedded computing in general please get in touch with the knowledgeable team at Sarsen Technology - info@sarsen.net

New Electronics - Newly Formed TechWorks to Move UK Technology Industry into a Higher Gear

Graham Pitcher from New Electronics has been looking into the new TechWorks organisation, which has been created to support the UK’s technology sector and to make it easier for the business and technology communities to build partnerships across government, academia and industry.

http://www.techworks.org.uk/

TechWorks has been established as an umbrella organisation which is looking to give the UK’s technology sector a significant nudge in the right direction.

According to the newly formed group, it will operate ‘beyond established silos’ by creating connected technical and business communities, identifying common challenges and developing the UK tech ecosystem, and building partnerships across industry, academia and government.

The organisation is being chaired by Sir Hossein Yassaie, pictured, recently CEO of Imagination Technology. “We believe we have the last major chance to do something significant in the UK and the timing is right because there have been major changes in the industry.”

Essentially succeeding the NMI, TechWorks is recognising the role which finance plays in the technology world. “We’re bringing in financial people for the first time,” Sir Hossein continued. “They could be the missing element, but the finance sector hasn’t been involved before. They are now the focus and we believe the community is now ready for it.”

Read the full article here.

FPGA Event: Implementing Machine Vision with FPGA and SoC Platforms

Date: May 18, 2017
Time: 9am - 4.30pm
Location: MBDA, Six Hills Way, Stevenage, SG1 2DA

About
Machine Vision (MV) systems are ubiquitous, encompassing a wide range of applications from smart phones to ADAS and drones. Increasingly, these applications require intelligence at the edge or in the cloud, with FPGA and SoC based solutions forming the core of many MV systems.

Join NMI at MBDA facilities for the upcoming meeting of the FPGA Network to explore not only MV systems but also how FPGA and SoC can implement intensive applications including Machine Learning and Neural Networks.

Key themes will include:
OpenCV with FPGA / SoC, ADAS, Robotic Guided Vision / Drones, Industry 4.0, Defence, Machine Learning and much more.

**Non-member Early Bird Tickets are now on sale. Offer expires on 30th March**

Confirmed Speakers include:
MBDA Systems, Roke Manor Research, Dyson Robotics Lab (Imperial College), APTcore and Myrtle.


Register your interest here.

About NMI

Join us at the next FPGA Network meet-up on Tuesday 11th October in Swindon!

FPGA experts who care about tools and methodologies can’t afford to miss the next meeting of the NMI FPGA Network... You will find this meeting especially compelling if you are an architect, designer, verification specialist, project manager or engineering manager.

We know how important design tools and methodologies are in creating better FPGA designs and FPGA systems-based, this is why we are excited to be sponsoring this event and would be delighted to see you there too!

On the day we will contribute to the debate with a discussion on ‘FPGA Platform Development Kit Enables Fast TTM’ delivered by Chad Hamilton, VP of Intellectual Property (IP), Software and Support at BittWare.

Chad will join the discussion along with FPGA specialists from other Industry leaders.

Confirmed Speakers 
Synopsys: Flexible debug and visibility techniques to enhance all FPGA design and deployment cycles
BittWare: FPGA platform development kit enables fast TTM
Mentor Graphics: Staying competitive by evolving your FPGAverification methodologies
Bitvis AS: A game changer for VHDL verification: advanced VHDL verification – made simple for anyone
Telexsus: FPGA real-time debug with vastly increased operational capture time – live demo
Cadence: 100M gate designs in FPGAs – fact or fiction?
Altera now part of Intel: Zen and the art of high-speed design
Xilinx: Vivado HLx Design Methodology
ITDev: Static code analysis using Blue Pearl software

See full details (pdf)

We are also very pleased to have Manuele Papais from DAVE Embedded Systems with us, showcasing their Xilinx Zynq based hardware and talking to engineers about Asymmetric Multi Processing on Cortex-A CPU: system integrity and reliability on Linux and RTOS cores.

Find out more and book your place here.

We look forward to seeing you at the FPGA Network Event ‘Design Tools and Methodologies’!

NMI FPGA Network: Design Tools and Methodologies - 11th October 2016

The National Microelectronics Institute (NMI) was created to increase the quality and quantity of electronic engineering and manufacturing in the UK.

NMI provides:

• A focal point for this industry; connecting industry, academia and stakeholders to build a strong eco-system
• A mechanism to work together to address common challenges in engineering and manufacturing sharing domain knowledge and know-how across vertical applications
• Opportunities to raise your profile and develop your business through new partnership and programs addressing business opportunities
• This industry with a voice by building industrial coherence on the strategic issues and opportunities; seeking to inform government and its agencies; supporting their decision-making processes
• A response to your individual business needs

NMI Infographic – Click to view full size

FPGA Network – Design Tools & Methodologies

On October 11th the NMI is hosting an event in Swindon which will allow members to share experiences of how FPGA design tools and methodologies impact build schedules, solve difficult problems, affect quality, optimise architecture and bridge hardware and software communities.

This event is ideal for you if you are an architect, designer, verification specialist, project manager or engineering manager and you care about tools and methodologies to help do a better job of creating FPGA designs or systems based on FPGAs.

Confirmed Speakers:

Synopsys: Flexible debug and visibility techniques to enhance all FPGA design and deployment cycles  
Mentor Graphics: Staying competitive by evolving your FPGA verification methodologies
Cadence: 100M gate designs in FPGAs – Fact or Fiction?  
BittWare: FPGA Platform Development Kit Enables Fast TTM  
Telexsus: FPGA real-time debug with vastly increased operational capture time – live demo  
Altera (now part of Intel): Zen and the art of high speed design

We have 5 free tickets for this event. If you'd like to join us please contact Sarsen Technology to register your interest - info@sarsen.net

NMI FPGA Network: Safety, Certification & Security Event - 19th May 2016

Date:	May 19 @ 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Event:	FPGA Network: Safety, Certification & Security
Venue:	Room A166 and Room A161, Lindop Building, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane Campus - College Lane, Hatfield AL10 9AB

Programmable devices are one of the most important platforms for electronic system design. In the last few years FPGA devices have become increasingly sophisticated and capable, allowing them to sit at the heart of a wide range of product and system designs. This trend is set to continue into even greater volume markets as performance improves even more.

Because of their extensive market appeal the emphasis on safety, security and regulation through certification for FPGA based designs has become more important than ever. This event will explore technology issues implementing FPGA based systems where safety and security are prime considerations and when standards based certification must be met.

NMI’s network meetups assemble a melting pot of engineers from different sectors to share experience and latest experience. The aim is to educate and enthral and to return to the work place with ideas, solutions and knowledge. The content of the meeting will be geared for a technical audience with ample time for discussion and networking.

Confirmed speakers include:

Would you like to speak? There a few open slots and NMI invites you to propose a topic.
It’s a great way to connect with the industry and to show case the cool stuff your company does.

For more information please contact Pete Davy – 07979 706 357.


About NMI

www.nmi.org

NMI is the Champion for the UK Electronic Systems & Technology Industry. Their mission is to help make the UK a leading location for electronic systems and technology businesses.They aim to support their members’ short-term priorities and the industry’s long-term needs. NMI's work covers innovation, operational excellence, investment, the skills agenda, advocacy and representation.

NMI Event - “Managing FPGA Projects: A Cat-herders Guide” - November 25th 2015

Sarsen Technology is taking part in the “Managing FPGA Projects: A Cat-herders Guide” event next week, organised by NMI.

About NMI



Agenda items include:

“Leveraging ASIC and Software methodologies for FPGA design” – Leon Wildman – Aptcore

“Managing complexity: version control basics for FPGA projects” – Sven-Erik Knop – Perforce

“Teaching an old dog new tricks – The opportunities and resulting challenges of getting consumer silicon into safety critical systems” – Mike Allen, Jon Wright – GE Avionics

“Management sans frontiers: Removing the roadblocks in FPGA projects” – Chris Higgs – Potential Ventures

“Optimizing the HW/SW partition of complex embedded systems” – Simon George – Xilinx

“Inspiring the next generation of FPGA engineers: Skills management in the long term” – Jeremy Bennett – Embecosm

“Requirement driven development for safety-critical applications” – Alex Grove – FirstEDA/Aldec

“Applying Agile Techniques to FPGA Projects” – Nigel Elliott – Mentor Graphics

. . . plus an open discussion to share hints and best practices.

Sarsen will be showcasing Altera and Xilinx FPGA-based hardware from BittWare, Extreme Engineering and DAVE Embedded Systems, as well as C to FPGA software for Xilinx and Altera FPGAs from Impulse Accelerated.

REGISTER NOW

Registration is now open, so please join us to learn some new tips, tricks and “agile” methods that teams are using in order to keep on top of ever-more complex FPGA designs.

UPCOMING EVENTS!

Sarsen Technology takes part in various events throughout the year across a number of markets and technology sectors, sometimes as a visitor and quite often as an exhibitor. This is just a snapshot of our upcoming events, so if you would like more information please contact Laura Biddiscombe for details.

• June 9th - VentureFest, Bristol - A one-day event showcasing Bristol and Bath’s most innovative and enterprising companies and start-ups. This is a free event, however you will need a ticket.


• June 17th -  NMI Model Driven Engineering 2015 - As a member of NMI we get access to some great events. This one, held at Thales in Crawley, is mostly focussed on electronics and software domains, reflecting the interests of NMI members and guests.


• September 15th-18th - DSEI 2015 - DSEI brings together the entire defence and security industry to source the latest equipment and systems, develop international relationships, and generate new business opportunities. Sarsen Technology will be exhibiting within the UK Pavilion on stand S4-453, where you can see an exciting range of embedded technology from BittWare, Ecrin Systems, Extreme Engineering, General Standards and Tech Source.


• October 21st - 22nd - Embedded Design Show 2015 - Following last years' successful exhibition we are pleased to once again be taking part alongside the team from DAVE Embedded Systems. You can find us on Stand G32, where we will be showcasing the complete range of SoMs from DAVE Embedded Systems, based on FPGA technology, ARM Cortex-A architecture, Freescale and Texas Instruments processors and Xilinx SoC.