ASIP Programmer

With ASIP Programmer™ Synopsys offers professional software development kits (SDKs) for in-house designed processors, also referred to as application-specific instruction set processors (ASIPs). Such an SDK consists of:

• An optimizing C/C++ compiler with linker and assembler
• An Instruction Set Simulator (ISS), with support for both cycle-accurate as well as instruction-accurate simulations
• A powerful debugging solution that works both on top of the ISS as well as with on-chip debugging solutions
• All accessible from a graphical integrated development environment (IDE)

ASIP Programmer’s IDE (debug view)

ASIP Programmer provides SDKs for ASIPs such as those that have been described in nML, the ASIP Designer™ processor modeling language. Proprietary processor developed using ASIP Designer can be programmed with ASIP Programmer by leveraging the processor model that has already been developed. For other proprietary processors Synopsys can develop a processor model as a service, which can then be used with ASIP Programmer.

ASIP Programmer builds upon a more than 20-year legacy of industry-leading compiler, simulator, and debugger technology. It delivers the fastest performance and smallest code size, along with the best hardware and software visibility for software developers targeting code for application-optimized processor architectures.

ASIP Programmer comes in two flavors:

• ASIP Programmer Flex can be used to develop, debug, and analyze code for any number of processors, as long as a processor package is available (which is normally exported from ASIP Designer)
• ASIP Programmer ❬myASIP❭ can be used to develop, debug, and analyze code for the one processor for which it was created (i.e. the processor named ❬myASIP❭). It is the solution of choice for deploying an SDK to a broad audience of software developers.

ASIP Programmer ❬myASIP❭

Synopsys can effectively be your SDK partner, relieving you from many of the tedious aspects of creating, managing, distributing, supporting, and maintaining a fully featured professional SDK. With Synopsys, your processor’s SDK can become its own, independently supported product under Synopsys’ broad portfolio of SDKs. Your SDK will get its own unique Synopsys product code, and can be ordered as a stand-alone product. Synopsys will serve as your distribution and support partner to make the SDK available to the market, or enable you to do your own sublicensing (with Synopsys as your fulfillment partner). Taking care of these details shields you from the complexity of licensing, protecting, packaging, and distributing your SDK. Here is a summary of benefits:

• Your processor’s SDK becomes an official Synopsys product, with a unique product code enabling the SDK functionality for the ❬myASIP❭ processor
• Fully packaged SDK, with installer and integrated license management
• Fully documented
• Guaranteed product availability
• Maintenance: When Synopsys makes improvements to the underlying software, you can upgrade your SDK to take advantage of the improvements, seamlessly
• Distribution control: Open source distribution rights and export compliance checks performed by Synopsys
• Access control: Given ❬myASIP❭ is a unique architecture, you might not want to make the details visible in an unrestricted way. So ASIP Programmer ❬myASIP❭ can only be ordered by you, or a 3rd party authorized by you
• Sublicensing: As an option, you can order the product, and make it available to 3rd parties you are working with. Under the sublicensing option, Synopsys is not involved in the business arrangement between you and the 3rd party
• Optionally, you can request Synopsys to add the SDK to the Synopsys Evaluation Portal. Through this portal, evaluation requests for the SDK can be filed by you, as well as 3rd parties in an efficient, streamlined, and secure way