SystemC for the design and modeling of programmable systems

The Field Programmable Logic (FPL) community is set to assume an important role within the electronic system level (ESL) community. Programmable technologies are proving to be the correct implementation substrate for the growing majority of system architects who can no longer afford the cost or shoulder the risks associated with submicron ASIC design. In this tutorial we present an overview of SystemC, the dominant and open environment for ESL design and modeling. We focus on presenting the fundamentals of the language and describing an important extension to the language that enables rapid modeling of systems at the transaction level.