Debug and trace support for next-generation Arm automotive CPUs

This enhancement allows for simultaneous debugging of heterogeneous CPU cores alongside non-intrusive CPU trace capture, catering to the evolving needs of the automotive sector.

In response to the rapid increase of software in vehicles, the rising application of AI in automotive systems, and the necessary shift in product development and deployment strategies, Lauterbach aligns with Arm to introduce a new range of hardware and software solutions. These solutions aim to empower automakers to expedite their product launches. Featuring the latest safety-enabled AE processors, Lauterbach’s TRACE32 tools are prepared from the outset to support these processors, catering to a wide array of automotive applications from server-class performance needs in autonomous and ADAS systems to power-efficient, real-time operations.

TRACE32 tools, comprising the universal PowerView debugging and tracing software along with debug and trace accelerator modules, facilitate hardware-accelerated debugging and real-time tracing of all heterogeneous Arm processors. This now extends to the newly introduced AE processors, enhancing the development process of automotive designs through efficient debugging, test automation, and trace analysis, including code coverage measurements.

With TRACE32, developers gain the capability for concurrent debugging and tracing of Arm cores and other SoC cores, providing comprehensive system coverage. This support extends across SMP (Symmetric Multiprocessing), AMP (Asymmetric Multiprocessing), and iAMP (Integrated Asymmetric Multiprocessing) systems. Lauterbach’s innovative iAMP debug and trace technology offers a streamlined approach to multicore system debugging within a single TRACE32 PowerView GUI.

Norbert Weiss, Managing Director at Lauterbach GmbH, stated: “The newest Armv9 based automotive CPUs deliver impressive advances in computing performance and energy efficiency. As a decades-long partner of Arm and a world market leader for debug and trace tools, it is a matter of course for us to support them right from the start."

Suraj Gajendra, Vice President of products and solutions at Arm’s Automotive Line of Business, emphasised the need for cutting-edge platforms: “The growing amount of AI and software that modern vehicles demand will deliver new driver experiences and opportunities for the entire automotive ecosystem, but it requires leading-edge hardware and software platforms. We’re expanding our safety-enabled Automotive Enhanced processor line-up to bring leading-edge Armv9 and server-class performance to AI optimised use cases, and with these new industry-leading tools from Lauterbach, software developers and hardware design engineers can begin innovating on these new platforms immediately.”

This advancement by Lauterbach signifies a pivotal development for automotive application developers, enabling them to more efficiently deliver innovations and enhance functional safety in the rapidly advancing automotive industry.