SystemC - a modeling platform supporting multiple design abstractions

SystemC is a C++ based modeling platform supporting design abstractions at the register-transfer, behavioral, and system levels. Consisting of a class library and a simulation kernel, the language is an attempt at standardization of a C/C++ design methodology, and is supported by the Open SystemC Initiative (OSCI), a consortium of a wide range of system houses, semiconductor companies, intellectual property (IP) providers, embedded software developers, and design automation tool vendors. The advantages of SystemC include the establishment of a common design environment consisting of C++ libraries, models and tools, thereby setting up a foundation for hardware-software co-design; the ability to exchange IP easily and efficiently; and the ability to reuse test benches across different levels of modeling abstraction. We outline the features of SystemC that make it an attractive language for design specification, verification, and synthesis at different levels of abstraction, with particular emphasis on the new features included in SystemC 2.0 that support system-level design.