1999-08-30, BG9906,
Backgrounder From Philips Semiconductors

Philips Semiconductors, the largest European semiconductor manufacturer, has announced that it has developed a new design methodology that supports the design of System On Chips (SOC) and can significantly shorten design cycle times. Its Silicon System Platform (SSP) concept incorporates the current re-useable module approach for hardware and software Intellectual Property (IP) blocks and adds the stage of having an architecture for a given application area to provide the rules to ensure that they fit together properly.

"A general purpose architecture for all possible applications would be highly inefficient for any specific case," explained Theo Claasen, Philips Semiconductors' Chief Technology Officer. "We have therefore created a number of SSPs for applications that have similar functional requirements, each with its own, open, programmable architecture. Each SSP consists of a set or 'kit' of re-useable hardware and software components that provides all the elements needed to create IC solutions for any application within that area, including the application software to drive them. No invention needs to be done to make SSPs work as all the features exist today - they just have to be packaged and managed in this innovative way to overcome the design complexity of creating a single chip solution instead of having to create every IC from scratch. The most essential issue is the discipline of the design community to design blocks for re-use, and design software and chips with as many re-usable blocks as possible. "

"As a result of adopting the SSP methodology across the company, we can substantially shorten product design and development times from months to weeks - helped by the fact that the ICs made in this manner usually work first time. Managing the complexity as products become more highly featured is vital. Being first to market is critical for our consumer electronics customers to meet new market and user needs and set a de-facto standard as well. "

"The pressure is on us to supply the right system solutions, at the right time and at the right price - SSPs enable us to do just that. SSPs provide a whole new way of doing business faster and smarter. System design remains much more flexible up until the end (and even with the system out in the field) because the SSP programmable methodology allows much of the functionality to be provided by software that can be modified, enhanced and upgraded through programmable hardware and embedded non-volatile memory."

Modules that are guaranteed to work together
The architecture for each SSP defines the rules for how the interfaces for all modules within a given SSP should be designed - essentially providing a universal backbone that guarantees the interface with any other module. Because every component is fully tested both internally and for its interoperability with other components, they can be slotted together using common rules to create system implementations very quickly without any of the slow and expensive handcrafting that is required without SSP. More than that, these rules will also guarantee that software made within the constraints of the concept can be used in any compliant implementation. Scalability over the various applications within each SSP domain is provided so that a range of products from low end to high end can be created by mix and matching the appropriate hardware and software components. But the real value lies in the restriction: constraining choice to well selected and matched cores and blocks that fit the application domain.

"Managing core components is crucial," Claasen added. "To be successful, a company needs a rich enough block set to build whatever is necessary, but not so many that they aren't re-used." Philips Semiconductors has defined core hardware components for re-use, which covers memories, analog and digital blocks, DSPs and design support. The company provides microcontrollers based on the 80C51 and XA for 8-bit and 16-bit applications and is licensed to produce both the MIPS Technologies and ARM microprocessor cores, which can be integrated with the company's own TriMedia™ processor cores in a multi-processor environment. Software re-use is at least as important as re-usable software is essential for cost and time-to-market reasons. Philips Semiconductors has reliable, re-usable software components in a direct analogy with the hardware components, including operating system, APIs, drivers and specific software components for each SSP. Full support is provided by the appropriate software and hardware development tools and on-chip and system buses.

Benefits to manufacturers of Philips Semiconductors SSP methodology
The SSP concept provides fast, reliable, flexible solutions for silicon systems. Silicon iterations can be easily implemented and tested while software is being defined by the system house ot a service provider. Furthermore, independent software vendors can be licensed in advance to develop software for SSPs, allowing software design cycles to be shortened significantly.

Programmability benefits the end customers and will boost acceptance of new technologies
So often products at the leading edge can become rapidly obsolete as standards change or newer better features or even completely new services become available. Programmability, which is fundamental to all SSPs, means that products are future-proof as enhancements can be provided via software upgrades. This gives end customers greater security and comfort that will encourage them to purchase these exciting new digital consumer products that can adapt to the precise needs of the owner and not the other way around.

Unique skill set
Philips Semiconductors is uniquely qualified to be able to define and use Silicon System Platforms. The company has a long history of designing architectures and building systems for a great variety of consumer markets. Philips Semiconductors also has a rich analog history as well as digital expertise that provides a large library of material that can be easily adapted to conform to the SSP methodology for re-use. This is further enhanced by the recent acquisition of VLSI with its renowned strengths in large ASIC design. Moreover, Philips Semiconductors has tremendous system knowledge in each of the SSP domains so that it really understands the needs of these applications and has first hand knowledge of solution creation over many years to draw upon. All together, this combination makes Philips Semiconductors one of the few companies with the skills and resources to develop Silicon System Platforms.

Flexibility can cut overall system costs
The flexibility of a programmable architecture, such as Nexperia™, can reduce the number and costs of hardware components in a product compared with a solution based only on hard-wired components. For example, in an set top box that supports advanced features such as video telephony, the processor core or cores can handle decoding for transmitted program content one moment, encoding, decoding and communications processing for video telephony the next by automatically using the appropriate software. This flexibility eliminates the need for multiple, fixed-function signal processors giving a lower, overall system cost. Furthermore, the manufacturing economies and savings by reduced inventory achieved by using a single programmable hardware platform to support multiple products can make software programmable products even more cost-effective.

An open standard
Philips Semiconductors is making the SSP compliance rules freely available to other companies so that they can design their software IP blocks to be compliant. "SSPs will really get rid of so many potential incompatibility problems," said Claasen. "Our SSP methodology will make it easy for anyone to create new products for each of the application domains."

 Nexperia™ is a trademark of Philips Electronics