Tools support automotive RISC-V virtual prototype

Infineon Technologies presents one of the industry's first automotive RISC-V technology demonstrator. This demo features Infineon's automotive RISC-V Prototype, highlighting the maturity and advantages of TASKING tools for RISC-V application development.

The automotive RISC-V prototype from Infineon is a virtual prototype of an automotive MCU with a RISC-V-based multicore cluster, interrupt controller, interconnect, and advanced automotive peripherals. The virtual model is implemented in SystemC and simulated utilising the Synopsys VDK.

The company's compiler and debugger fully support the RISC-V prototype VDK. The compiler generates compact and efficient code optimised for the RISC-V micro-architecture of the core cluster. The winIDEA debugger is fully interoperable with the Synopsys VDK, supplying software developers with a unified interface and workflow, independent of whether the software executes in a virtual environment or on a physical microcontroller.

The RISC-V Compiler shares the underlying technology framework of the company's TriCore toolchains, which are the de facto standard and benchmark in the industry. This ensures high reliability and eases existing customers' adoption of the tool.

By default, debugging of the automotive RISC-V virtual prototype is enabled by Synopsys Virtualizer Studio. However, this tool serves the requirements of the developer of the virtual model. In contrast, the winIDEA debugger serves the requirements of the software developer. It hides the virtual model's complexities, providing full symbolic debugging and features like OS-aware debugging and profiling. All test and debug scripts developed for the virtual model can be reused once physical hardware becomes available.

"With the first available automotive RISC-V virtual prototype, we facilitate the foundation and development of the software-defined vehicle", says Thomas Schneid, senior director of Software, Partnership and Ecosystem Management at Infineon Technologies. "We are pleased that TASKING supports our customers with tools that further accelerate the process."

The standout feature of the company's certified and reliable tools is its inherent compliance with safety and cybersecurity standards. This makes them the ideal choice for application development in sectors where performance, safety, security, and seamless ecosystem integration are paramount.

"Just like Infineon, we see RISC-V as an essential part in the development of the car of tomorrow," says Christoph Herzog, CTO at TASKING. "We are proud to support Infineon's automotive RISC-V virtual prototype today, enabling their customers to perform benchmarking, software partitioning, and early software development."