VDK Family for Arm® Processors

Improve Your Existing Embedded Software Development Environment

As the complexity and the amount of processors continue to increase in many application domains, so does the need to start software development as early as possible. Arm processors are being deployed in a wide range of markets including mobile, consumer, enterprise and automotive. The ever increasing software content and shorter development windows are calling for tools to enable earlier software development. The Virtualizer™ Development Kit (VDK) Family for Arm Processors offers a wide range of models and software tools to span this entire application domain. With support for all existing Arm processors spanning all Cortex® families: Cortex-M, Cortex-R and Cortex-A, leveraging your existing software debugger, it is easier than ever to accelerate your development schedule.

VDKs are software development kits using virtual prototypes as the embedded target. They enable a broad range of software development use cases to meet the needs of semiconductor companies' own software developers as well as those at their customers and partners. The VDKs include multicore software debug and analysis tools, reference software stacks and Armv7/v8/v9 processor-based reference designs to provide an out-of-the-box software development platform. In addition, these designs can be customized with the Virtualizer tool set to represent users' specific Armv7/v8/v9 system-on-chips. The VDKs also allow software engineers to efficiently develop software to support individual IP components, such as porting device drivers for DesignWare® Interface IP, as well as to perform full software bring-up for the entire SoC.

Accelerate Software Bring-up for Synopsys DesignWare Interface IP

  • Software development up to 12 months before board availability
  • Out-of-the-box support for Linux, Android and multicore task migration software 
  • Multicore/multi-cluster software analysis capabilities to best utilize performance and energy efficiency capabilities
  • Plug-n-play integration with software debuggers from Arm, Lauterbach and GNU
  • Configurable Cortex processing subsystem, customizable by adding other system components

Accelerate Software Bring-up for Synopsys DesignWare Interface IP

The VDK Family for Arm Processors contains models for the most popular DesignWare Interface IP. By leveraging existing reference virtual prototypes and the convenience of adding specific DesignWare models with Synopsys Virtualizer Studio, software developers can quickly start bring-up of peripheral IP specific software like device drivers.

  • Out-of-the-box support for reference operating systems, drivers and middleware
  • Reference virtual prototypes to build DesignWare Interface IP specific VDKs including out of-the-box support for USB 3.0, USB 2.0, Ethernet GMAC, mobile storage and I2C
  • Enhance existing debuggers with higher visibility and control throughout the entire system
  • Non-intrusive debugging and fully scriptable environment enable easier reproduction of issues and creation of regression tests
  • Optimize or re-target legacy and new driver code for the Armv8/v9 64-bit architecture
open laptop running VDK for Arm software