Model-Based Development of MPSoCs with Support for Early Validation

A higher level of abstraction is required in the design of Multi-Processor Systems-on-a-Chip (MPSoCs) as complexity increases due to the integration of more and more applications on a single chip. This paper introduces a model-based development process, in which a precise specification of the interfaces between IP cores serves as the foundation for an independent development and a seamless system integration of applications. The development process starts with a structural specification in XML, which is refined with tool support into a behavioral specification expressed in SystemC. Before mapping the behavioral model to an implementation model, the behavioral specification can be simulated to get early feedback in the value and time domain in different application scenarios. In an example application, the proposed development process has been used for a control loop. Using simulation of the behavioral model, the control loop stability has been investigated under different configurations of the Network-on-a-Chip (NoC) and in the presence of IP core failures.