Kit accelerates software development for ARC HS4x/4xD SoCs
Designed to accelerate software development for SoCs based on the superscalar ARC HS4x and DSP-enhanced HS4xD processors, the DesignWare ARC HS4x/4xD development kit has been released by Synopsys.
The ready to use software development kit for the ARC HS4x/4xD processor IP family includes support for the Linux kernel and access to the embARC open-source software packages, enabling designers to start software development prior to SoC availability.
The ARC HS4x/4xD Development Kit includes a multi-core ARC HS4x/HS4xD-based chip implemented in a 28nm process and integrates a range of interfaces including Ethernet, HDMI, USB, SDIO, I2C, SPI, UART, and GPIO, as well as a low-power graphics processor unit (GPU). The kit also features an on-board wi-fi (802.11abgn) and Bluetooth (BT4.0) module, allowing developers to build and debug complex software on a fully-featured hardware platform, confirms Synopsys.
The ARC HS4x/4xD development kit is configurable to support single and dual-core HS45D and HS47D processors and up to quad-core ARC HS48 processors, giving developers the flexibility to use a single development board for multiple ARC HS processor configurations. It includes an ARC HS4x processor running at 1GHz and includes 4Gbyte of DDR memory to run full software loads. Support for the Linux kernel, Yocto, and Buildroot systems allows developers to immediately begin Linux application development. For bare-metal and RTOS-based development, the embARC Open Software Platform (OSP) provides drivers, FreeRTOS and middleware for embedded and IoT application development. (All software for the ARC HS4x/4xD Development Kit is available on the embARC website.)
The ARC HS4x/4xD development kit is supported by Synopsys’ ARC MetaWare development toolkit, for the development and debugging of highly optimised, high-density code. The GNU Toolchain for ARC also supports the ARC HS4x/4xD family of processors. A HapsTrak connector enables designers to connect the ARC HS4x/4xD development kit to Synopsys’ HAPS FPGA-based prototyping system, to extend the platform for prototyping new IP and associated driver development.
The ARC HS4x/4xD development kit is also extensible through the available Digilent Pmod, mikroBUS, and Arduino connectors.
