Introduction of system level architecture exploration using the SpecC methodology

To implement chip design on satisfactory target architectures, architecture exploration should be done at higher levels of abstraction, in the earliest design stages. Using the SpecC language, an executable system level design language, system level architecture exploration can proceed easily and smoothly as the system specification is being created. A SpecC methodology of system level architecture exploration is introduced within this paper to illustrate this process. The design of a JPEG encoder is used as an example to illustrate the system level architecture exploration methodology.