A transaction-based unified simulation/emulation architecture for functional verification

A transaction-based layered architecture providing for 100% portability of a C-based testbench between simulation and emulation is proposed. Transaction-based communication results in performance which is commensurate with emulation without a hardware target. Test-bench portability eliminates duplicated effort when combining system level simulation and emulation. An implementation based on the IKOS VStation emulator validates these architectural claims on real designs.