ASSET and SoftIron collaborate on rapid debugging for 64-bit ARM-based enterprise servers using AppliedMicro's X-Gene technology

Richardson, TX, and Southhampton, UK (July 23, 2014) – ASSET® InterTech (www.asset-intertech.com) collaborated with SoftIron® Ltd., Southampton, UK, to quickly debug and bring up the industry’s first 64-bit ARM server motherboard based on AppliedMicro’s X-Gene® Server on a Chip™. SoftIron’s 64-0800 is an ultra-low power, high-performance server motherboard for the enterprise computing and data center market.

The development team at SoftIron selected ASSET’s SourcePoint™ debugger because it gives developers visibility into code execution from the point where the system is reset through the execution of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). SourcePoint also runs under the Linux operating system and can take advantage of its many capabilities.

SourcePoint’s advanced run-control features helped engineers at SoftIron to quickly analyze hardware anomalies during development and bring the 64-0800 to market before any of its competitors. In addition to the enhanced visibility into firmware execution offered by SourcePoint, ASSET’s consultation services and development support proved invaluable to SoftIron.

“With a very complex design like this and the type of accelerated development schedule we adopted, we knew we needed a best-of-class debug tool or we wouldn’t be able to get our server motherboard to market ahead of the others. The visibility SourcePoint provided into code execution on the X-Gene turned out to be a difference maker for us,” said Gary Preston, vice president for hardware at SoftIron. “ASSET’s support team and the advice they gave us exceeded our expectations and played a critical role in getting us to a successful launch.”

“We’ve provided debug tools for many years for Intel®-based platforms,” said Larry Traylor, ASSET’s vice president of software debug and trace. “Now, migrating SourcePoint’s many capabilities and the visibility it has to offer engineers into the ARMv8 marketplace is quite exciting. Being a part of this very early ARMv8-based server solution for the enterprise market is very gratifying.”

About SoftIron, Ltd.

SoftIron is an enterprise technology innovation company founded in 2012 and based at the University of Southampton Science Park, UK. Its next-generation enterprise computing products are focused on ultra-low-energy servers which rewrite the rules of power consumption, reliability, robustness and performance, enabling massive cost savings and reduced CO2 emissions.

About ASSET InterTech

ASSET InterTech is a leading supplier to the electronics industry of tools based on embedded instrumentation. Its SourcePoint debugger and the ScanWorks platform for embedded instruments overcome the limitations of external test and measurement equipment by applying instrumentation embedded in code and semiconductors to debug and validate software and firmware, and to perform design validation and manufacturing test on chips and circuit boards. ASSET's acquisition of Arium in 2013 added a powerful suite of firmware debug and trace tools to the ScanWorks platform. Designers can quickly debug firmware and then diagnose how it interacts with hardware. ASSET InterTech is located at 2201 North Central Expressway, Suite 105, Richardson, TX 75080.