Cell BE SOC Debug Features

The Cell BE processor incorporates a 64-bit Power Architecture processor coupled with eight Synergistic processors, a Flexible IO interface, and a memory interface controller that are all connected by a high speed element interconnect mechanism. The processor also supports multiple operating systems, including Linux. The challenge of bringing new architectures that operate at multi-Gigahertz functional and test speeds required additional attention to debug functions on the chip. This paper will explore some of the debug features that were added to the Cell BE design.