Emulation platform chosen for verification of ray-tracing GPU

18th December 2015

Nat Bowers

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Imagination Technologies has deployed the Veloce emulation platform’s virtualised testbench acceleration (TBX) technology in their internal verification flow for their PowerVR Wizard GR6500, a ray-tracing-enabled GPU. Imagination’s PowerVR Wizard architecture raises the bar for ray-traced graphics in consumer and mobile products, delivering amazing realism and performance while meeting strict power budgets and cost constraints.

Martin Ashton, EVP, PowerVR, Imagination Technologies, commented: “To simplify the verification of complex Imagination IP, we’ve chosen an integrated verification strategy where emulation is an essential technology. The Veloce TBX technology delivers a total solution with inherent flexibility, which was essential for us to achieve first-pass silicon success on the PowerVR Wizard GR6500 design.”

The transaction-based Veloce TBX technology, which is part of the Veloce OS, delivers high verification throughput, flexible verification use models, and increased debug efficiency. In terms of performance improvements, with the Veloce TBX technology Imagination improved test repeatability during regression testing to a point that is far superior to the non-deterministic regression tests running in an In-Circuit Emulation (ICE) mode. Imagination also saw increased performance based on optimised memory access and concurrent modelling techniques supported by the Veloce TBX technology.

Another key benefit for Imagination was Mentor’s uniquely developed capability to support Imagination’s 64-bit drivers with the Veloce emulation platform. There was no need to change to custom target hardware for 64-bit operation, which meant that schedules were not adversely affected while waiting for new hardware. This capability also made for more efficient platform integration, allowing for a mix of any CPU architecture and associated operating system and for streamlined software driver code development with the ability to execute real content.

“We are pleased by the progress Imagination and Mentor have made over the last years in the use of the Veloce emulation platform to make verification more effective and flexible. Imagination has worked to refine a verification flow that not only benefits them internally but also benefits their ecosystem partners who chose to design with Imagination IP,” added Eric Selosse, Vice President and General Manager, Emulation Division, Mentor Graphics.