Synopsys and Renesas form software development team
August 1, 2012 by John Day
Filed under Industry News, News
Firms will develop virtual prototypes; speed software debug, system testing for Renesas’ RH850 MCU-based designs
Synopsys, Inc. announced a collaboration with Renesas Electronics Corporation to develop and deploy advanced software development solutions optimized for designs based on Renesas microcontrollers (MCUs), including the recently announced RH850 family.
– Collaboration covers development of system-level models and Synopsys® Virtualizer(TM) Development Kits (VDKs) optimized for Renesas microcontrollers, including the new RH850 family
– Solutions will enable automotive OEMs and electronics suppliers to quickly implement virtual Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing to accelerate full system integration, test and validation
– Fast simulation with full system visibility and control extends code coverage and fault testing to improve reliability of Renesas’ RH850-based electronic control units (ECUs)
The collaboration includes establishment of a Virtual MCU Center of Excellence with a dedicated team of engineers from both companies that will develop, among other commercial products, system-level models and Virtualizer Development Kits (VDKs) to accelerate software development and system testing for Renesas RH850-based designs. VDKs are software development tools integrating functional models of digital hardware, providing full visibility and controllability of single and multicore systems for unparalleled software debug and analysis capabilities.
“Our collaboration with Synopsys represents a long-term investment to improve the way software is developed and integrated into automotive subsystems,” said Hisashi Takahashi, general manager of the MCU Software Division, MCU Business Unit, Renesas Electronics Corporation.
“The Virtual MCU Center of Excellence brings together the unique expertise of both companies to extend and optimize proven virtual prototyping technology for users of Renesas microcontrollers. The availability of VDKs for Renesas’ RH850 MCUs will enable software developers and teams performing system integration and test throughout the automotive supply chain to shorten development cycles and improve product testability and reliability.”
Renesas’ recently announced 32-bit RH850 MCU family is architected to support single- and multicore configurations that meet the processing requirements of automotive applications such as safety, body and engine control, driver interfaces and infotainment. These applications require designers to debug and validate an increasing amount of software code, often at multiple stages in the system development process. VDKs supporting the Renesas RH850 will allow software developers to start writing and testing code months before hardware availability. In addition, Synopsys’ VDKs will enable rapid deployment of virtual Hardware-in-the-Loop test benches to increase code coverage and enhance fault testing, resulting in shorter development cycles, reduced development costs and higher product reliability.
“Modern automobiles contain a diverse and growing collection of electronic control units whose software content and complexity continue to rise,” said John Koeter, vice president of marketing for IP and systems at Synopsys. “Through our expanded collaboration with Renesas, automotive engineers will have access to virtual prototyping models and tools that accelerate software development and system testing for leading MCUs like the RH850, both now and in the future.”
Availability & Resources
The VDKs for Renesas’ RH850 MCUs are scheduled to be available from Synopsys in the fourth quarter of 2012. For more information about Virtualizer Development Kits visit www.synopsys.com/VDK.
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