Open Virtual Platforms (OVP) Releases High Performance Models of NEC Processors

OVP Quickly Becoming the De Facto Source of Fast Processor Models

THAME, United Kingdom, February 17, 2010 � The Open Virtual Platforms (OVP) initiative (www.OVPworld.org) has also announced the release of new models of NEC processor cores. The NEC v850 series of processor cores, including the base instruction set as well as the E1 and E2 additions, is a workhorse in the embedded systems market, most commonly used in automotive and other applications.

"In the automotive electronics industry we always need to do more testing of our embedded systems software,� said Urban Forssell, CEO of NIRA Dynamics AB, a subsidiary of Audi Electronics Venture GmbH. �Finding that the simulation performance of the Imperas/OVP NEC model was 50 times faster than our previous solution opens up new possibilities for us in software testing, and enables us to increase our test coverage and product reliability,"

�For the last 20 years we wouldn�t dream of building an integrated circuit without simulating the hardware,� said Simon Davidmann, president and CEO, Imperas and founding director of the OVP initiative. �Bringing simulation to software development is a natural step. Bringing low cost simulation tools and free, fast models of state of the art processors such as the NEC v850 is why we founded Open Virtual Platforms. With over 40 processor models available, OVP is quickly becoming the de facto source of fast models.�

Open Virtual Platforms (www.OVPworld.org)
OVP includes the OVPsim simulator, libraries of models and APIs for developing new models. OVPsim executes platforms, including multicore platforms, at hundreds of millions of instructions per second, providing the speed that software developers require for simulation of embedded systems. Model libraries include everything from models of individual processors (over 40 available from ARC, ARM, MIPS, NEC and OpenCores) and component models to more complex platforms, such as ARM IntegratorCP and MIPS Malta development boards for running Linux. All OVP processor models include a SystemC/TLM-2.0 interface for easy integration in those virtual platform environments. OVP APIs enable the embedded software community to develop models of processors, behavioral components and peripherals, and to connect these together into virtual platforms that run the final target system software binaries unchanged. Since its founding in early 2008, over 2,100 people have registered on the OVP website.

About the OVP Initiative (www.OVPworld.org)
The OVP initiative was founded with a donation by Imperas of approximately $4 million of simulation infrastructure. The goal of organization is to help the industry to build an effective multi-core development infrastructure through the use and adoption of open virtual platform technology. The website serves as a portal for OVP members covering details about the technology, providing a discussion forum for the community, and links to download each component. The technology has the support of electronic design automation (EDA) companies, end users and intellectual property (IP) providers. Detailed quotations regarding OVP are available from http://www.ovpworld.org/quotes.

About Imperas (www.imperas.com)
Imperas provides methodologies, technologies and products to enable the efficient and effective verification of software functionality and software performance for embedded systems. Its products enable software functional verification, performance profiling, and analysis for embedded software operating on multiprocessor MPSoCs. With an engineering base in the United Kingdom, Imperas distributes its products to customers worldwide. For more information, visit www.imperas.com.

Imperas acknowledge trademarks or registered trademarks of other organizations for their respective products and services.

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