It is expected that the use of PICO Extreme by ODS will yield up to a 30-percent reduction in design and verification time, from algorithms in ANSI C to verified RTL. In addition, the ability of PICO Extreme to perform design space exploration can provide area and power reduction of as much as 30 percent.
“PICO Extreme is a key to reducing the cost and time of developing and verifying advanced image processing devices,” said Dr. Keiichi Nakano, Director of ODS and Manager of the Planning and administration group, Imaging Platform Technology Division of Olympus Corporation. “We evaluated multiple tools, and found that PICO Extreme is capable of performing complex designs, has the highest capacity, and delivers the best area and performance results. Synfora has unique technology, and provides expert training and support that allows us to be successful from the start.”
“We’re proud that ODS has selected PICO Extreme for its advanced image processing SoC design program,” said Simon Napper, President and CEO of Synfora. “The ODS team are great to work with, and we watched them go through the ‘PICO aha moment,’ when the designer realizes that, unlike traditional HLS tools that allow them to do the same job faster, PICO Extreme enables them to do a better job faster and easier.”
PICO Extreme
Synfora’s PICO Extreme is an advanced optimizing compiler that uses a recursive system composition methodology to transform a sequential, untimed C algorithm into highly efficient RTL (Register Transfer Language), creating a complete application from a single C program and allowing the designer to deliver better results faster. The C program describes the functionality, and PICO Extreme builds the entire hardware subsystem that “drops in” to the rest of the IC. It allows use of familiar design styles, reduces runtime and achieves unprecedented quality of results that compete with hand design.
Recursive system composition is enabled by Synfora’s innovative TCAB (tightly coupled accelerator block) technology, allowing users to designate parts of their algorithms as application-specific building blocks, which are C procedures that can be designed and verified standalone. The PICO Extreme compiler automatically integrates and schedules these blocks as if they were primitive computing elements. In addition, advanced power exploration and power saving modes give designers the ability to rapidly explore and measure multiple power saving strategies to find the best PPA (power, performance and area) tradeoff.
PICO Extreme is in use at a growing number of leading companies for next-generation SoCs and FPGAs in video, wireless, imaging and security applications. It has been shown to achieve 30 percent more design functionality, differentiation and power efficiency with 30 percent less verification time, design resource commitment and silicon cost.
About Synfora
Synfora, Inc. is the premier provider of algorithmic synthesis tools used to design complex systems-on-chips (SoCs) and FPGAs. Synfora's technology helps to reduce design costs, dramatically speed chip development, and reduce time-to-market. Synfora serves customers worldwide in the audio, video, imaging, wireless, and security segments of the integrated circuit (IC) design market. The company's investors are ATA Ventures, Foundation Capital, U.S. Venture Partners, Wafra, and Xilinx. For the latest information on Synfora, please visit http://www.synfora.com.
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