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ATMEL GETS HUGE

by Tom Cantrell

Start ý Feeling Pretty SLIC ý Memory MIPS ý Making a Connection ý Co(de)signer ý Huge Idea ý Sources and PDF

CO(DE)SIGNER

Getting MCU software working is hard. Getting an FPGA working is hard. Needless to say, getting an MCU and FPGA working together isnýt easy.

Now, when youýre talking "Codesign" EDA Tools, the big question is whoýs the cosigner for the loan. Only the most well-heeled customers can afford a full-blown ASIC-class EDA capability.

Atmel comes to the rescue with their System Designer tool suite (see Figure 3) that coordinates MCU and FPGA development with source-level debug and full hardware visibility. For implementation, the package includes place-and-route, floor planning, macro generators, and bitstream utilities.

Figure 3ýAt only $495 for a yearly subscription (just think of it as a new approach to upgrades), System Designer delivers codesign capability to cost-conscious developers.

The AT94K press materials also allude to third-party tool support from the likes of Mentor Graphics. It seems likely the combined lineup of existing AVR and AT40K FPGA tool providers will weigh in with more support, perhaps even pairing up to combine their hardware and software tools into integrated codesign packages.

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