OKI IDS adopts Siemens catapult synthesis platform

OKI IDS provides advanced design services in the fields of information and telecommunications, medical electronics, and automated driving support. The company's challenge with the conventional HLS flow was that it was difficult to efficiently verify the equivalence of high-level models and algorithm models using C/C++ and register transfer level (RTL) code after HLS through simulation.

Incorporating the HLS and HLV flows within Catapult allows the OKI IDS design and verification services to automatically convert a testbench that verifies high-level models and algorithm models using C/C++ for HLS into a testbench for RTL functional verification, and to verify RTL functions on a testbench equivalent to the high-level models. This enables RTL functional verification with a testbench equivalent to the high-level model. Thus, the development of a new testbench for RTL functional verification after high-level synthesis is no longer necessary. In addition, the verification of high-level code and algorithms using C/C++ as executable specifications can now be utilized for RTL functional verification, enabling a significant improvement in design quality.

“With the adoption of Catapult, the industry's only integrated high-level synthesis and verification environment, we can now thoroughly verify the executable specification in C/C++ code provided by our customers and achieve RTL function verification with an equivalent test bench after high-level synthesis," said Yasuo Yamamoto, executive officer, Business Division for OKI IDS. “This allows us to objectively demonstrate any issues in the specifications or show that our design artefacts meet the customer's specifications. By resolving issues during the high-level design phase through high-level verification, we are able to improve the quality of results (QoR) for high-level design and significantly improve efficiency in RTL function verification, which we estimate may result in a reduction in delivery time of more than 20%.”

The Catapult HLS and HLV platform provides industry-leading advanced high-level verification capabilities, including formal verification apps and features such as SCVerify that automatically converts high-level model verification environments in C/C++ to RTL verification environments as well as the design checker capabilities in Catapult, which perform syntax checking on C/C++ code for HLS. These features offer unique and powerful capabilities for high-level verification that are not available elsewhere in the industry.

"I am delighted that OKI IDS, one of Japan's leading design service companies is now offering services using the Catapult environment's High-Level Synthesis and Verification capabilities,” said Mo Movahed, General Manager for the Front-End Design Solutions Business Unit for Siemens EDA. “We look forward to working with OKI IDS to further enhance their customer satisfaction with HLS high-level design and verification services using Catapult."