High-level architectural co-simulation using Esterel and C

This paper introduces an architectural simulation environment, aimed at defining the best SOC architecture for complex system-level applications. The application is modeled using an abstract timing modeling language, that describes the requests (e.g., memory accesses, I/Os, etc.) that the application makes to the architecture. The abstract architecture is modeled at the cycle-accurate level using a mixture of Esterel (a synchronous language) and C. We discuss the results of the application of this tool to a GSM/GPRS application, including a dramatic speed-up of the architectural exploration phase.