Silicon Without Software is Just Sand

Shifting Left with Imperas and MIT’s Swarm

by Amelia Dalton

No one builds a chip without simulation, right? In this week’s Fish Fry, we take a closer look at the value of virtual prototypes to simulate embedded software. Simon Davidmann (CEO – Imperas) and I chat about about why he thinks no one should design embedded software without simulation, and the benefits of using virtual platforms to develop a verification and test environment. Also this week, we investigate a whole new way to design chips, and it’s called Swarm. We examine the details of this new 64-bit architecture developed by MIT, how it could revolutionize the way multicore chips prioritize tasks, and why Swarm could make writing software a whole lot easier.

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Links for July 15, 2016

More information about Imperas

ARM Cortex-A72 Models and Virtual Platforms Released by Imperas and Open Virtual Platforms

More information about Swarm

Unlocking Ordered Parallelism with the Swarm Architecture (Whitepaper)

Libby's Lab

Libby's Lab - Scopes out Littelfuse C&K Aerospace AeroSplice Connectors

Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Littelfuse

Join Libby and Demo in this episode of “Libby’s Lab” as they explore the Littelfuse C&K Aerospace Aerosplice Connectors, available at Mouser.com! These connectors are ideal for high-reliability easy-to-use wire-to-wire connections in aerospace applications. Keep your circuits charged and your ideas sparking!

Click here for more information

Maximize Power Efficiency in Embedded Applications with Agilex™ 5 E-Series FPGAs and SoCs Memory Solutions

Sponsored by Altera

Learn how Altera Agilex™ 5 FPGAs and SoCs deliver up to 1.9× lower system power than Zynq UltraScale+ without sacrificing performance. This white paper dives into real benchmark data, memory interface efficiency, and architectural advantages that make Agilex 5 the smart choice for embedded, vision, and AI edge applications. Optimize for power, performance, and design simplicity.

Click to read more

featured chalk talk

Universal Sensing Module Training Presentation

Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and NXP Semiconductors

In this episode of Chalk Talk, Madhura Tapse from NXP and Amelia Dalton explore how the rise of Industry 4.0 and AL/ML at the edge has driven a need for universal sensing solutions. They also examine the benefits of NXP’s NAFE13388-UIM? analog product development boards and how NXP is furthering innovation in a variety of different arenas with this software-configurable analog input solution designed for high-precision sensing and edge intelligence.

Click here for more information about NXP Semiconductors Universal Sensing Module

Jun 20, 2025

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Silicon Without Software is Just Sand

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