Modern computing platforms are getting increasingly heterogeneous with domain-specific hardware accelerators. The heterogeneity provides efficiency in computation, however, it also brings about new challenges in specification and verification.Previously, for general-purpose processors, the instruction set architecture (ISA) created a separation between the hardware and software in terms of design and verification. It decoupled the development of a software program from the hardware implementation of the processor. Verification of hardware and software could be conducted separately with ISA as a specification for the hardware, or an abstraction of the hardware for the software. However, for specialized hardware accelerators in emerging systems-on-chip (SoCs), there is no such ISA-like model for the interface. Existing abstract models built in languages like SystemC do not specifically target the hardware-software interface, and therefore, are hard to use to separate the design and verification concerns between hardware and software.This thesis considers the instruction-level abstraction (ILA) as a generalization of the ISA to include domain-specific accelerators in heterogeneous SoCs. It first provides a formal definition of ILA, which, like the ISA, models architectural state variables and their updates in terms of instructions. It then discusses an ILA-based hardware formal verification methodology where ILA is used as a specification, and it demonstrates how formal verification can benefit from the attributes of the ILA through verification case studies. The thesis then discusses the importance of invariants in such formal hardware verification and proposes two techniques, both based on syntax-guided synthesis, forenvironment-invariant synthesis and hardware model checking, respectively. As a hardware-software interface model, ILA is also used as a hardware abstraction in system-level hardware-software verification. Specifically, as SoC components typically use shared memory accesses for bulk data transfer, the verification must take memory consistency issues into account. This is addressed by the ILA-MCM verification framework in this thesis.In summary, this thesis presents the ILA as the hardware-software interface model for the specification and verification of modern heterogeneous SoCs. The ILA-based verification methodology allows modular verification which increases the scalability of formal SoC verification.

SoC design has seen significant advances in the decade and Arm-based silicon has often been at the heart of this revolution. Today, entire systems including processors, memories, sensors and analogue circuitry are all integrated into one single chip (hence "System-on-Chip" or SoC). The aim of this textbook is to expose aspiring and practising SoC designers to the fundamentals and latest developments in SoC design and technologies using examples of Arm(R) Cortex(R)-A technology and related IP blocks and interfaces. The entire SoC design process is discussed in detail, from memory and interconnects through to validation, fabrication and production. A particular highlight of this textbook is the focus on energy efficient SoC design, and the extensive supplementary materials which include a SystemC model of a Zynq chip. This textbook is aimed at final year undergraduate students, master students or engineers in the field looking to update their knowledge. It is assumed that readers will have a pre-existing understanding of RTL, Assembly Language and Operating Systems. For those readers looking for a entry-level introduction to SoC design, we recommend our Fundamentals of System-on-Chip Design on Arm Cortex-M Microcontrollers textbook.

The new RISC-V Edition of Computer Organization and Design features the RISC-V open source instruction set architecture, the first open source architecture designed to be used in modern computing environments such as cloud computing, mobile devices, and other embedded systems. With the post-PC era now upon us, Computer Organization and Design moves forward to explore this generational change with examples, exercises, and material highlighting the emergence of mobile computing and the Cloud. Updated content featuring tablet computers, Cloud infrastructure, and the x86 (cloud computing) and ARM (mobile computing devices) architectures is included. An online companion Web site provides advanced content for further study, appendices, glossary, references, and recommended reading. Features RISC-V, the first such architecture designed to be used in modern computing environments, such as cloud computing, mobile devices, and other embedded systems Includes relevant examples, exercises, and material highlighting the emergence of mobile computing and the cloud

Rev. ed. of: Computer organization and design / John L. Hennessy, David A. Patterson. 1998.

System on Chip Interfaces for Low Power Design provides a top-down understanding of interfaces available to SoC developers, not only the underlying protocols and architecture of each, but also how they interact and the tradeoffs involved. The book offers a common context to help understand the variety of available interfaces and make sense of technology from different vendors aligned with multiple standards. With particular emphasis on power as a factor, the authors explain how each interface performs in various usage scenarios and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. Readers learn to make educated decisions on what interfaces to use when designing systems and gain insight for innovating new/custom interfaces for a subsystem and their potential impact. Provides a top-down guide to SoC interfaces for memory, multimedia, sensors, display, and communication Explores the underlying protocols and architecture of each interface with multiple examples Guides through competing standards and explains how different interfaces might interact or interfere with each other Explains challenges in system design, validation, debugging and their impact on development

A Fully Integrated Presentation of New Hardware and Software Product Introductions Using Program Management Methodologies for System on Chip Platforms If you're an executive, manager, or engineer in the semiconductor, software, or systems industries, this book provides conceptual views ranging from the design of integrated circuits or systems on a chip, through fabrication, to integration of chips onto boards, and through development of enablement and runtime software for system and platform deliveries. Special features included this book are: - Program management methodologies - General management fundamentals - An overview of leadership principles - Basic discrete device technology - Internal structure and operation of some common logic gates - Basic integrated circuit design concepts, building blocks, and flow - Chip packaging technologies - Details of the fabrication process for integrated circuits - Printed circuit board design, manufacture, and test - Software design, development, and test - Integrated circuit test, silicon validation, and device qualification - Program management applications bringing it all together The book explores interactions and dependencies of technologies that impact systems and platforms. This is a valuable resource to learn these technologies or to use as a reference.

Hardware Software Co-Design of a Multimedia SOC Platform is one of the first of its kinds to provide a comprehensive overview of the design and implementation of the hardware and software of an SoC platform for multimedia applications. Topics covered in this book range from system level design methodology, multimedia algorithm implementation, a sub-word parallel, single-instruction-multiple data (SIMD) processor design, and its virtual platform implementation, to the development of an SIMD parallel compiler as well as a real-time operating system (RTOS). Hardware Software Co-Design of a Multimedia SOC Platform is written for practitioner engineers and technical managers who want to gain first hand knowledge about the hardware-software design process of an SoC platform. It offers both tutorial-like details to help readers become familiar with a diverse range of subjects, and in-depth analysis for advanced readers to pursue further.