SpringSoft, Inc. launched the Verdi Interoperability Apps (VIA) Exchange, an open platform for creating and sharing custom applications deployed with SpringSoft’s Verdi Automated Debug System. The VIA Exchange consists of the newly productized application programming interface (API) to SpringSoft’s de facto standard databases and the www.via-exchange.com website for download of the VIA interface, scripting tools and command libraries that can be used to create customizable Verdi scripts and utilities. VIA Exchange users can also submit scripts or end use applications to the exchange.

More than 60 well-defined functions and procedures as well as 30+ scripts and applications have been contributed to date by SpringSoft engineers, Verdi users and ecosystem partners, including Avery Design Systems, NextOp Software, Inc., Real Intent, Source III, and Vennsa Technologies.

Verdi is an automated debug system aiming to accelerate design comprehension of complex IP components, design modules and entire system on chip (SoC) designs. The system is built on a unified ‘design knowledge’ platform of specialized databases, analysis engines and APIs. These compile, extract and preserve the data needed to reveal the functional operation and interaction between all the various design, assertion and system testbench elements.

The VIA Exchange website is a 24/7 online resource to Verdi development tools, documentation and scripts. All scripts are provided in source code format and authorized for user modification and reuse. The current selection spans a broad range of areas, such as design investigation, tool or design flow integration, and design style or rules checking. They are ranked by SpringSoft for a quick reference guide to the most commonly used. The site also hosts a user forum to foster real-time interaction between users.

Advantages

The VIA architecture clearly shows the potential advantages for Verdi users. In addition to customizing the environment during debug, the system can be extended to integrate third party tools creating a unified debug data base.

But there are also significant advantages for Springsoft. The VIA Exchange is obviously a new powerful tool for its marketing organization because it clearly set Verdi apart from other debugging tools. In addition, Springsoft now has a more immediate idea of the direction its customers would like the product to go and the VIA Exchange also provides free prototyping to Springsoft. Architectures and functions developed by users can be evaluated, problems identified and corrected, and the resulting additions evaluated for inclusions in the next official Verdi release.

But there is a third benefit that may not be as obvious: the possible evaluation of merger/acquisition opportunities. As third party tools are integrated with Verdi through the VIA interface, the strength of a possible more direct integration, say between Verdi and a formal verification tool, may become so desirable to be the catalyst for a business decision.