Today, virtually every ASIC and ASSP is being verified using a FPGA-based prototype. That clearly takes prototyping out of its previous ad-hoc existence and puts it right next to software simulation as an essential verification tool for chip design. However, becoming a mainstream verification methodology brings with it the responsibility to adhere to standards, making the tool easily deployable and allowing integration into existing flows and environments. Moreover, in the case of prototyping, it also requires that the prototyping system is applicable and reusable for many years and for a wide variety of projects and designs.

HAPS™ (High-performance ASIC Prototyping System™) is a modular system with multi-FPGA motherboards and standard or custom-made daughter boards, which can be connected together in a variety of ways. Amongst the functions available on standard daughter boards are video processing, various memory types, A/D and D/A conversion, and interfaces to Ethernet, USB, PCI, PCI Express, and ARM. The robust and reliable hardware, together with the flexibility and I/O connectivity, and the large collection of off-the- shelf hardware modules makes it easy for ASIC designers to build their own customized ASIC prototype.

The HAPS concept “build your own ASIC prototype using off-the-shelf hardware modules” implies a few important key requirements. First, there must be a whole set of hardware modules implementing all kinds of functions and interfaces. Second, as new standards and demands arise, new modules must be developed. Some specific demands may even require that customers develop their own modules. Third, all these hardware modules must fit together – mechanically, electrically and functionally. The ruleset defining this is called HapsTrak™.

The main components in HapsTrak are the connectors – a terminal connector and a mating socket connector. All boards in the HAPS family are equipped with at least one socket connector, placed on the bottom side of the boards. All motherboards (boards with FPGAs for customer use), and many daughter boards, also have terminal connectors on the top side. The connectors are placed in a regular matrix, 70x50 mm, and the maximal dimension of boards is defined to be 1 mm less than a multiple of 70 mm, and 50 mm respectively. The maximal height is strictly specified as well.

These modular rules make the HAPS family look like a set of LEGO® bricks – easy to understand, easy to build, and yet with an enormous amount of freedom to put together virtually any system.

HapsTrak I	HapsTrak II	Power Distribution

HapsTrak II connectors are fully compatible with HapsTrak I connectors, i.e., all previous HAPS boards can be used together with the new generation of boards. The HapsTrak key to success is compatibility.

HapsTrak enables users to develop their own HAPS compatible daughter boards, which on the one hand makes the prototyping system more versatile and on the other hand helps to protect a company’s unique design and verification IP.

But HapsTrak is not just a technical feature; it is much more than that. HapsTrak most of all protects the user’s investment into HAPS. It guarantees forward and backward compatibility, thus extending the lifespan of the prototyping system an d significantly improv ing ROI (return on investment).

HAPS High-performance ASIC Prototyping System is a part of the Confirma platform. The Confirma platform is a comprehensive at-speed ASIC/ASSP verification solution that dramatically accelerates the functional verification of ASIC, ASSP, and SoC designs. In addition to the HAPS system, the Confirma platform includes the Synplify Premier single-FPGA implementation tool, the Certify multi-FPGA partitioning and implementation tool, and the Identify Pro full visibility debugging tool.

For more information on the Confirma platform, visit http://www.synplicity.com/products/prototyping_solutions.html, or to learn more about the HAPS system, visit http://www.synplicity.com/products/haps.

Synopsys, Inc.
700 East Middlefield Road
Mountain View, CA 94043
Tel: 650.584.1256
http://www.synopsys.com

Copyright © 2008 Synplicity, Inc. All rights reserved. Specifications subject to change without notice. Synplicity, the Synplicity logo, “Simply Better Results”, and Synplify are registered trademarks of Synplicity, Inc. HAPS, High-performance ASIC Prototyping System, and HapsTrak are trademarks of Synplicity, Inc. LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies. All other names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

by Bo Nilsson, Hardware Platforms Group, Synplicity, Inc.

June 5, 2008

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