What Semifore Does
Building the Design Foundation
Software engineers outnumber hardware engineers by 5X or more for a typical advanced semiconductor design. Complex software algorithms must control a growing array of specialized processors and hardware accelerators to deliver a robust product.
The hardware/software interface (HSI) provides the technology for software to control this hardware and it forms the foundation of the entire design project. Semifore’s CSRCompiler™ system automates the creation of this foundation.
Unifying the Team
RTL design, firmware development, verification and technical publications all rely on a correctly implemented HSI to ensure a robust product. These teams also rely on accurate, up to date HSI information in many specialized formats to facilitate effective collaboration. CSRCompiler generates a verified HSI and all the formats needed by these teams. This frees the design team to focus on innovation, knowing their design foundation is solid.
The Executable Specification
Semifore has also developed a domain-specific language called the CSRSpec™ language. This design specification format delivers a production proven method to describe the required behaviors and implementation details of the HSI. It captures far more design intent than other design specification formats in use today. It facilitates an executable specification for the design.
A Winning Methodology
The combination of CSRSpec and CSRCompiler delivers a methodology that enables design team success with a correct and well documented design foundation.
For legacy designs, CSRCompiler reads design specification formats in use today – IP-XACT, SystemRDL and spreadsheets for example. Semifore has participated in the development of these formats and CSRCompiler has even been used to verify them.
CSRCompiler translates between these formats, creating a single linked and consistent representation of the design from a variety of inputs. CSRCompiler does extensive validation of input formats, verifying semantic and syntactic correctness. Design practices that can lead to sub-optimal results are also flagged.
CSRSpec and CSRCompiler are production proven and known for their robustness and reliability. Building your design foundation with them will free your teams to focus on innovation, knowing the design foundation is solid.
How Semifore Enables Design Team Innovation >