The simulation semantics of SystemC

We present a rigorous but transparent semantics definition of SystemC that covers method, thread, and clocked thread behavior as well as their interaction with the simulation kernel process. The semantics includes watching statements, signal assignment, and wait statements as they are introduced in SystemC V1.O. We present our definition in form of distributed Abstract State Machines (ASMs) rules reflecting the view given in the SystemC User's Manual and the reference implementation. We mainly see our formal semantics as a concise, unambiguous, high-level specification for SystemC-based implementations and for standardization. Additionally, it can be used as a sound basis to investigate SystemC interoperability with Verilog and VHDL.