As regular readers know, Agnisys is the leader in specification automation. From various forms of executable design specifications, we generate the SystemVerilog RTL design, Universal Verification Methodology (UVM) testbench models for simulation, assertions for formal analysis, C/C++ code for embedded processors, sequences for both UVM and C/C++, and user documentation. The designers incorporate the RTL code into their chip, the verification engineers use the UVM models, sequences, and assertions to verify the RTL design, and the embedded programming team uses the C/C++ code as a starting point for their firmware and drivers.
Eventually, the system must be validated with the hardware and production software running together. Ideally, this happens using an emulator or an FPGA prototype before tapeout, so that no surprises are found when the software runs on the fabricated chip in the bring-up lab. However, there is a step in between hardware verification and system validation, often called system-level verification or early validation, that’s essential for complex system-on-chip (SoC) designs. At this stage, the verification team runs both a UVM testbench and embedded C/C++ test code together in simulation.
