Verisity, ARM employ Amba bus to tackle SoC verification

Verisity, ARM employ Amba bus to tackle SoC verification
By Richard Goering, EE Times
September 25, 2000 (11:01 a.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20000925S0032

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Verisity Ltd. and ARM Ltd. this week will announce a comprehensive verification solution for systems-on-chip that use the Amba bus architecture of ARM Ltd. The solution has two parts: an Amba Compliance Testbench (ACT) supplied by ARM, and an Amba eVerification Component (eVC) sold by Verisity.

The ACT provides compliance tests for Amba bus protocols. Although it is written in Verisity's "e" language, it does not require Verisity's Specman testbench generation environment. The Amba eVC promises a complete verification environment, and it does require the use of Specman.

Verisity started developing application-specific eVCs earlier this year and is presently shipping such tools for PCI and Ethernet systems. A universal serial bus eVC is currently in beta testing. Dave Tokic, director of str ategic marketing at Verisity, said the company decided to add an Amba eVC based on customer demand.

ARM, meanwhile, wants to encourage broader use of its Amba bus. "We're really trying to get it firmly established as the global standard for on-chip buses," said Jonathan Morris, Amba product manager at ARM. He said ARM decided to work with Verisity because its e language represents a powerful way to build test benches.

Morris said that the ACT can be used for either module-level compliance tests or system-level tests. It ensures that all necessary transactions are carried out to use the Amba bus. While it makes use of Verisity's "Invisible Specman" tool kit, it can be used in any verification environment and does not require the Amba eVC.

"What Amba eVC brings to the table is an ability to create an entire verification environment around Amba," said Tokic. Specifically, the Amba eVC has three components: a stimulus generator fo r producing bus traffic; monitors and checkers for viewing outputs and checking protocol rules; and coverage reports.

While the core of the Amba eVC is encrypted, the topmost layer can be modified or extended. Users can turn checks on or off and can modify the stimulus generator. The Amba eVC doesn't require the use of the ACT.

ARM will provide the ACT in the fourth quarter of 2000. Part of the overall ARM solution, it does not carry its own price. Verisity will sell Amba eVC in the fourth quarter starting at $10,000 for a one-year floating license. Further