ARM Developers' Conference Communicate, Connect, Create October 7th-9th 2008

conference [SCHEDULE]

Day: 1 2 3 all Sort by: time track company

Tuesday

9:00 AM

The Flexible Dynamics of Multimedia Processors
Arthur Musah
Texas Instruments
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM

Power consumption and usable battery life remain central factors in the development of ARM-based products, and the CPU is generally a very power-hungry component. Rather than lower the system clock rate, which also reduces system performance, a variety of innovative on-chip methods reduce power without adversely impacting system performance – dynamic voltage and frequency scaling, adaptive voltage scaling, dynamic power switching and static leakage management. This presentation dives into each technique to show possible power savings scenarios and will also discuss how external power-management devices and power ICs help a CPU reap the full benefits.

Building Best in Class Implementations of ARM Technology with ARM Physical IP
Craig Slorach
ARM
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM

ARM delivers the majority of its technology in Soft-IP form. Essential to implementating the technology on a chosen manufacturing process, meeting the application Power/Performance/Area (PPA) targets, is the availability of an optimal Physical IP solution. This session will give detail on work being undertaken at ARM to build Application Optimized Physical IP, ensuring best in class PPA implementations of ARM Technology (such as ARM Processors). Some examples of current optimized products will be given, followed by detail on recent activity around a number of ARM Processors, along with an overview of up-and-coming developments on the latest process nodes.

Introduction to the Mali Graphics Architecture
Rune Holm
ARM
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM

The first part of this session will focus on Mali hardware and explain the innovative architectural approach where the advantages of traditional immediate mode and tile based graphics architectures are combined into the efficient Mali graphics hardware architecture. The second part will discuss the Mali Software architecture providing an overview of the OpenGL ES and OpenVG Graphics APIs and the on-target shader compiler that are supported in Mali DDK.

ARM and the MCU Perspective on Technical Directions for Microcontrollers
Andrew Frame
ARM
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM

The microcontroller world is heading from 8-bit to 32-bit solutions with a consolidation around the Cortex-M3. The challenges and advantages of this migration are often not fully understood and this session will look at both of these. Amongst other things, we will look at flash memory system design, ultra low power standby, fast wake-up solutions, and advanced debug and trace. The session will culminate in a look at what a complete ARM-based microcontroller could look like.

The Evolving Role of Interconnect
Tim Mace
ARM
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM

In complex SoC designs there is a growing trend towards communication centric design because the design and optimization of the on-chip communications infrastructure, often referred to as the fabric, has an ever increasing impact on the overall performance of the total system. This talk explores the features that are required in the fabric of a leading edge SoC. The management of traffic flows to ensure Quality of Service; the efficiency of the communication both on-chip and to the off-chip memory devices; and the connection of IP components from multiple sources in a reliable and robust fashion are considered.

Broaden your Hardware and Software Horizons - What Every Software Engineer Should Know about ARM Hardware
Robert Catherall
ARM
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM

ARM-based hardware platforms have a number of standard elements and behaviours. These simplify SoC design, encourage re-use and ensure that tools will work with multiple targets. However, like all defacto standards and common knowledge, they can also be a source of great mystery and frustration especially when one's expertise lies elsewhere. In this presentation we will aim to give experienced software engineers (and hardware engineers new to ARM based platforms) an introduction to this 'not-so-common-knowledge', and its implications for SoC design, system bring up, and day-to-day debugging. We will also share some useful hardware related tips and tricks.

Migrating from MIPS Cores to ARM Cores
Robert Brians
Epsilon Industries
9:00 AM - 10:45 AM

Migrating a design effort from one IP core to another can seem a daunting task. Advance knowledge of the major issues involved can remove a significant part of the risk involved in such a step resulting in a much better final product. This lecture aims to examine the major issues designers encounter when moving from MIPS-based designs to ARM-based ones. Covering bus structures, major feature comparisons, and development tool options, it is the ideal starting place for those considering such a move.

Programming Guidelines for AT91SAM ARM-based Micros
Lionel Perdigon
Atmel
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

An introduction to the AT91SAM programmer’s model and a technical overview of the AT91SAM ARM-based Flash MCU and Embedded MPUs. This class provides guidelines for the software developer to optimize the use of the hardware for performance and low power with maximum portability in mind.

10:00 AM

Employing Power Management Strategies in Mobile Devices
Klaas Van Gend
MontaVista Software
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

As mobile handheld devices become more feature rich, developers must employ power management strategies to reduce power consumption and maximize battery life. When building out a power management strategy, it is important to take a global view of power consumption in order to extract the most power savings possible in a time efficient manner. This presentation focuses on why power management is important and gives key considerations for developing and implementing a dynamic power management strategy, including techniques to reduce the power consumption of the CPU while it is active as well as when it is idle.

Upgrading ARM926EJ-S Software Systems to the ARM1176JZ-S
Peter Lewin
ARM
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

This session examines the system design challenges encountered when migrating software developed for an ARM926EJ-S based system to take advantage of an ARM1176JZ-S processor. In particular, it focuses on changes required to take advantage of the features introduced in the ARM v6 Architecture, and discusses some of the design tradeoffs. It focuses on software issues only; hardware design issues will be discussed in a separate session.

Revealing the Magic - Demystifying Graphics Benchmarking and Performance
Dave Shreiner
ARM
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

In this session, the attendee will become familiar with the current metrics of computer graphics hardware performance, and understand what those statistics represent. Starting from the basics, this session maps the speeds and feeds of graphics onto the hardware pipeline, discussing along the way the effects of programmable graphics hardware, and other facilities that may affect performance. The session concludes with strategies and suggestions on how best to conduct evaluations and which pitfalls to avoid.

Enabling Increased Reliability with Fault Robustness in Your MCU Application
Andrew Frame
ARM
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

All safety-critical or high-reliability applications are looking for solutions and methodologies to address fault robustness. While there are a number of fault robustness implementations, the Cortex-M3 is the first processor in the market to enable an optional observation port to interface to Yogitech's faultRobust-CPU (fRCPU). This presentation examines the features and benefits of this approach, highlights examples in markets such as the medical and consumer segments, and shows how, after performing a failure-mode and effect analysis (FMEA) on the Cortex-M3, the Cortex-M3 and Yogitech's fRCPU have been certified to Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL3) of the IEC61508 norm.

Case Study using the ARM Cortex-M3 in Ultra-Low Power AMBA AHB Interconnect-Based Systems
Tim Mace
ARM
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

Re-usable IP in SoC designs is widely accepted as essential to achieving higher productivity, thus meeting shorter time-to-market. This presentation investigates the integration of AHB fabric IP into ARM based systems employing ARMv7-M architecture processors and the opportunities for designers to reap their power, performance and design-time advantages. The Cortex-M1 designed for implementation in FPGAs and the Cortex-M3 for microcontroller applications have unique considerations regarding complementary fabric IP i.e. extending the Low area, high frequency capabilities of the ARMv7-M family . These Ultra-Low Power (AHB) considerations form the main focus of this case study.

Hierarchical implementation Case Study of the ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore Multicore Processor
Frank Malloy
Synopsys
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

The ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore is a new generation of multicore processor meeting the demands for higher processing performance combined with low power consumption. ARM and Synopsys show how the latest hierarchical design planning features of Synopsys IC Compiler can be deployed for the implementation of this processor. This multicore processor lends itself well to a hierarchical implementation approach. This session will show how IC Compiler has been used for top-level design partitioning. Areas such as processor floorplanning, block partitioning, routing analysis, block pin assignment, and constraint budgeting strategies for the individual cores and top level design will be discussed.

Designing Deeply Embedded ARM9 based Low Power Microcontrollers
Adam Fuks
NXP Semiconductor
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

This class will introduce the features of the ARM9 processor family and examine how a low power microcontroller can be architected around it. Aspects examined will include a study of the interfaces of the ARM9 processor and their implications on timing closure and latencies on the one hand, and dynamic/static power consumption on the other. The presentation will then demonstrate, through a case-study of the architecture of the brand new ARM926EJS-based NXP LPC313x low power microcontroller family, how these features can be exploited to make a low power, high performance microcontroller.

2:00 PM

Embedded Systems Security: How Does Virtualization Help?
Rob McCammon
Open Kernel Labs
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM

Virtualization is frequently touted as a mechanism for increasing the security of systems. Looking at the security challenges facing modern embedded systems, this session covers the degree to which this is and is not true. It will explain why a small trusted computing base is an essential part of architectural approaches to system security, and why this is not met by virtualization alone. The session will then outline a generalized approach which enables better security while maintaining other benefits of virtualization.

Integration of ARM Cortex-M3 into a Multi-Core Automotive SoC
Karl Greb
Texas Instruments
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM

Texas Instruments provides both multi-core Cortex R4 lockstep and multi-core Cortex R4/M3 TMS570 family solutions for the safety critical automotive market. The Cortex M3 core has excellent interrupt handling capabilities which make it attractive as an I/O controller. However, integration of the v7M architecture Cortex M3 into a v7A/v7R architecture based system presents unique challenges. This presentation will provide discuss some of these integration challenges and the solutions implemented on the TMS570 AMP family devices.

Software Driven Low Power Optimization for ARM Based Mobile Architectures
Frank Schirrmeister
Synopsys
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM

Requirements to provide programmability combined with the trend to multicore architectures drive designers to include software into the power optimization process as early as possible. This presentation will introduce power characterized virtual platforms for software driven power end energy optimization. It will detail the latest capabilities of the SystemC TLM-2.0 APIs and introduce techniques to instrument processor. peripheral and memory models with characterized power information. Based on ARM architecture examples from Freescale and Texas Instruments, the audience will learn how to instrument virtual platforms for low power analysis, enabling pre-silicon power trade-offs and early development of power management software.

Open Standards for Rich Media on ARM – the Khronos Mobile Graphics Ecosystem
Neil Trevett
Khronos / NVIDIA
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM

The Khronos Group is creating a royalty-free ecosystem of acceleration API and authoring standards to enable sophisticated mobile authoring pipelines and mixed media and gaming applications on handheld, console, and embedded devices. This presentation will provide a strategic overview of the standards being developed, how they enable innovative authoring and acceleration strategies and the commercial opportunities they are creating.

Open Source Software Development on the ARM Cortex-A8
Jason Kridner
Texas Instruments
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM

Open source software developers will learn how to utilize a compact, low-cost, fan-less single board computer that delivers Cortex-A8 and DSP performance – the expandability of desktop machines, but without the bulk, expense or noise. The Beagle board is an inexpensive open source SW development board with a facilitated open source community for collaboration and exchange of innovative ideas and support for SW developers. Learn how to develop on the Beagle board, how to use OpenEmbedded for cross compilation and how to simplify development.

Using Trace to Optimize System Performance
Tim Mace and Wallace Hardwood
ARM
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM

This session explores the tools and techniques available during the design phase and after tape-out. We will explain how to use available trace information – derived from a CoreSight trace system on an existing design - to drive the simulation of the on-chip communication fabric and from these results design the optimal solution. The designer needs to customise the CoreSight trace system to their application, making tradeoffs in silicon area and pin count, providing adequate visibility for debugging, and performance optimising the end product. This session explains how to make these decisions and provides answers for applications and supporting implementations.

AMBA based SoC Architecture Optimization at RTL and Statistical Traffic Based Simulation
Serge Poublan
ARM
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM

The complexity and integration of ARM-based SoCs grows exponentially, making architecture and optimization of the fabric backplane a key task. This presentation discusses the key challenges faced by AMBA SoC architects within existing design flows, in particular ESL and RTL, and presents an innovative approach for AXI based architecture exploration and analysis based on statistical traffic generation and analysis.

Optimizing Software to Take Advantage of ARM(R) Processors
Pieter Arnout
ARM
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Across industries, there is continually a greater focus on improving the user experience while also packing in more features to platforms such as mobile phones and satellite navigation systems. The addition of more features on more complicated systems makes it difficult for software engineers to successfully optimize the software and keep software running within system constraints. In this workshop, attendees will learn how to gain visibility into performance of applications from a long-term statistical viewpoint rather than a short-term debug viewpoint as well as how to determine advantages of various compiler optimizations or source code modifications in a short amount of time.

Versatile Boot Strategies and Hardware Design Considerations for AT91SAM9 Embedded MPUs
Lionel Perdigon
Atmel
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Atmel’s AT91SAM9 ARM926-based Embedded MPUs provide a range of interfaces and memory options to upload a first level boot loader which controls the system startup process. The ever increasing operating frequencies are raising the PCB design complexity and the exposure to signal integrity and EMC limits. This class discusses the different boot strategies on Atmel’s ARM9 MPUs and PCB design considerations with the objective to accelerate the initial development phase and lower the risk for PCB redesign. J130

NXP’s ARM Cortex-M3 Implementation (Part 1 of 2)
Rob Cosaro
NXP Semiconductor
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM

This presentation provides an insight into the all NEW NXP's Cortex-M3 implementation featured in the LPC1000 series. The LPC1000 series has a rich set of peripherals (including high speed USB OTG/host/device controller, Ethernet, CAN) and it implements a Memory Protection Unit (MPU) (Part 1 of 2).

3:00 PM

Build and Debug ARM Applications with the GNU Toolchain
Mark Mitchell and Daniel Jacobowitz
CodeSourcery
3:00 PM - 4:45 PM

In this session, we will offer tips for using the GNU Toolchain effectively to develop ARM applications. We will present the new features CodeSourcery has added to the GNU Toolchain for ARM developers in 2008, including new CPU support in GCC and other improvements. We will also build a sample application using CodeSourcery’s C/C++ development environment based on the GNU Toolchain and the Eclipse IDE, and run and debug our application both in the QEMU simulator and on ARM hardware.

Achieving Driver Portability through Platform Virtualization
Frank Altschuler
Trango Virtual Processors
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM

Peripheral drivers is one of the key areas where development time and money is spent in porting software to a new SOC. This session will guide you through the architectural issues surrounding driver portability among differing SOCs, and how virtualization can be used to reduce or eliminate driver changes and the resultant development and validation effort.

Developing for Mali
David Jordan
ARM
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM

This presentation will cover the development of graphics software for ARM's Mali hardware. Topics will include choosing the development platform - such as the OpenGLES2.0 Emulation for Windows PC; helping with development - using the Mali Conditioning Tool to convert; and optimizing your graphical content.

Asynchronous NoC Fabric Generation for Predictability, Re-Usability, and Optimization in SoCs
Dave Stratman
Silistix
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM

This session will explain how the application of clockless logic simplifies IP integration, expedites optimization with regards to PPA (power-performance-area), and enhances predictability from concept to silicon without the speed or gate penalties of traditional interconnect fabric generation technologies that formerly inhibited usage in high performance, video-intensive heterogeneous multi-processor SoCs.

Optimization of Embedded Software´s Energy Consumption
Jerry Flake
Lauterbach
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM

This presentation will give an introduction to the latest development tools, offering a detailed analysis of a target's power consumption. A unique feature will be demonstrated which gives the designer the ability to see the target's historical power consumption associated to specific areas of code execution. Thus allowing for the designer to pin-point sections of application code which are using abnormal amounts of power and, ultimately, enabling the fine tuning of target power consumption.

Design and Implementation in a Foundry-Based 1GHz ARMv5 CPU SoC
Albert Chen
Faraday Technology
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM

This presentation will introduce how Faraday implemented a 1GHz ARMv5 CPU in 65nm, including the micro-architecture design, memory design, optimization methods, and design examples.

Implementing a World of GUIs Using the ARM Cortex-M3
Dave Wilson
Luminary Micro
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM

The processing power of ARM CortexM3-based microcontrollers and the availability of affordable color displays and display controllers has opened opportunities to add compelling graphical user interfaces to inexpensive embedded products. This presentation demonstrates how a comprehensive-yet-compact graphical user interface architecture can be developed on low cost, ARM-based microcontrollers, and how this architecture can be used to produce a wide variety of visually-appealing and intuitive user interfaces. Topics to be covered include a low footprint graphics programming interface and the use of class-based controls or widgets. Examples of several applications making use of the architecture will also be shown.

NXP’s ARM Cortex-M3 Implementation (Part 2 of 2)
Amish Desai
NXP Semiconductor
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM

This presentation provides an insight into the all NEW NXP's Cortex-M3 implementation featured in the LPC1000 series. The LPC1000 series has a rich set of peripherals (including high speed USB OTG/host/device controller, Ethernet, CAN) and it implements a Memory Protection Unit (MPU) (Part 2 of 2).

4:00 PM

Virtualizing Peripherals on a Customizable MCU
Frank Altschuler and Jamie Murphy
Trango Virtual Processors and Atmel
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM

This session will guide you through embedded virtualization as it applies to customizable MCU platforms such as Atmel's CAP. We will discuss target use cases such as gaming devices and secure communications equipment. For selected examples we will describe the process of instantiating the hardware elements in the metal programmable block, and then virtualizing the complete platform to create multiple execution environments that can share the newly created block.

Architecting Memory Systems and on Chip Interconnects for Optimal Mali GPU Performance
Peter Aldworth
ARM
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM

ARM has a long history of CPU design. The memory backplane has been developed to enable good CPU performance. GPU is a new type of processor that has a different set of requirements on the memory system. In this talk we will compare the impact on the memory system when all ARM’s AMBA 3 AXI masters (GPU, CPU, L2$, CLCD, DMA) are used together in the same design. The presentation includes best practise configuration and architecture of the memory system. A system example will be used that includes ARM’s latest released IP products.

Implementing a Multicore System using ARM Cortex-M3 Processors
Yoann Foucher
Texas Instruments
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM

The Cortex-M3 processor is ideally suited to provide high performance, high code density, and a small silicon footprint in cost-sensitive applications. To meet real-time performance requirements with high performance and low interrupt latency, we implemented a subsystem using two Cortex-M3 processors with a common Level 1 Cache and custom interface based on the AHB protocol. The presentation will address challenges inherent in a multicore subsystem that integrates two Cortex-M3 processors, and will describe low-power techniques from the Cortex-M3 processor. It will also provide insight into the subsystem’s hardware support for Symmetric Multi-Processing.

Quad-core Cortex-A9 MPCore Multicore Processor Implementation
Pete Churchill
Magma Design Automation
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM

SoC designs embedding different configurations of Cortex-A9 MPCore multicore-processor require production-proven IC implementation tools and reference methodologies addressing full automation, productivity and turnaround time, while not compromising on power, performance and area (PPA) goals. Considering the complexity of a quad-core Cortex-A9 MPCore processor, capturing architectural intent and PPA targets of end-user designs accurately, achieving predictable design handoff between logic and physical design engineers and implementation can result in time consuming and expensive missteps. These can be avoided with advanced and streamlined approaches to ASIC planning that includes capabilities such as automated partitioning, macro-placement and shaping and relative floorplanning constraints.

MCU Implementation Strategies for Ultra-Low Power and Safety-Critical Applications
Andrew Frame
ARM
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM

With application complexity increasing rapidly in many ultra-low-power systems, designers are challenged to provide extended performance while maintaining multi-year battery life. In these systems, the processor is critical and defines many of the tradeoffs between high performance and low power. This seminar discusses the design considerations for ultra-low-power applications and how the ARM Cortex-M3 processor further enables designers to achieve lower microwatt power consumption. Additionally, the session will introduce the Cortex-M3 processor observation interface and explain how this extends the market reach to include usage in a variety of safety-critical applications where Fault Robustness is an essential requirement.

Programming LPC2000 Family Microcontrollers using NI LabVIEW
P.J. Tanzillo
NXP Semiconductor
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM

In early 2008, National Instruments and ARM, Ltd. introduced the LabVIEW Embedded Module for ARM Microcontrollers, a software package that allows you to program NXP microcontrollers graphically without C. This session, you will see demonstrations of ways to accomplish typical programming tasks using the NXP2378 microcontroller and LabVIEW including TCP/IP and serial communications, analog and digital input and output, SPI, and I2C. In addition, see some advanced ways to debug code including simulated stimulus/response

Design Considerations for Hierarchical PL301 based Systems with Connection Loops
Ben Hicks
ARM
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM

With ever increasing complexity in SoC designs, architects are using more diverse interconnect topologies. This paper discusses two areas of the design process in which the ARM Services Division has considerable experience. The first section will cover a design-stage problem involving an ever increasing ID width. The second section will cover a cyclic dependency issue which can arise in AXI based systems, and may not be detected in verification. The solutions will all be based upon the use of the PL301 High Performance Matrix.