CEVA-Toolbox™ - Software Development Tools
Description CEVA-Toolbox™ constitutes a framework for software development for CEVA DSP Cores. CEVA-Toolbox includes a complete set of development, debug and optimization tools for each of CEVA's DSP product families. All tools can be operated and configured via the integrated development environment (IDE) using a Graphic User Interface, supporting the user through his entire embedded application development flow. Recently, the CEVA-Toolbox was extended with an innovative Application Optimizer toolchain that enables pure-C level application optimization for DSP applications. With the addition of this tool chain, CEVA offers a complete, end-to-end C-level software development environment significantly improving application performance and reducing time-to-market.		Live Webinar - January 12, 2010 "Optimize your Software Development Flow - An intelligent C-level development process for modern embedded processors" Date: January 12, 2010 Time: 8:00 a.m. PST / 11:00 a.m. EST / 16:00 GMT

 CEVA-Toolbox Software Development Tools

CEVA-Toolbox consists of the following development tools, all developed and maintained by CEVA, leveraging on years of experience since the inception of the first CEVA DSP in 1991:

• Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
  • Supports all CEVA DSP cores
  • Fully featured editor
  • Complete software-development-tools connectivity
  • Project management, including project space for multiple projects and a project tree
  • Project settings of the various tools
    
    
• C Compiler
  • An up-to-date compiler technology targeting modern embedded processors
  • Optimized specifically for CEVA DSP-core architectures
  • Equipped with a complete package of library functions and architecture specific extensions
    
    
• Debugger
  • Integrated CEVA DSP-cores simulators
  • Several emulation modes, including on-the-fly connection
  • Standard C stream I/O in simulation and emulation modes
  • Extensive scripting capabilities
  • Modular, open architecture including user-customizable DLLs
  • Run-time violation detection by the simulator
    
    
• Assembler
  • Supports the native instruction sets of CEVA's DSP cores
  • Powerful C-like operators, directives, and numeric expressions support
  • Modular programming capabilities
  • Complete core-specific architectural restriction-checking and correction
  • Overcomes sequential-restrictions mechanism of the cores
    
    
• Linker
  • Modular and flexible mapping capabilities to precisely match customer system architecture
  • Rich set of directives and operators
    
    
• Application Optimizer
  • Full tool chain enabling C-level optimizations for CEVA's DSP cores (see below)

CEVA Application Optimizer - A Complete Optimizing Toolchain

The CEVA Application Optimizer allows application developers to easily develop software for CEVA's DSPs purely in C-Level, eliminating any hand-written assembly coding. This results in significantly better overall performance and a shorter design cycle for SoC designs.

CEVA Application Optimizer Toolchain

Key Elements of the Application Optimizer include:

• Project build optimizer
  • Builds, simulates, and profiles multiple application scenarios
• Matches customer exact application and system conditions
• Creates ready-to-use near optimal project configuration(s) Based on pure C-code without having to use hand-written assembly
• Achieves near optimal results in C-level
• The entire process is fully automatic
  
  
• Smooth algorithm migration
• Connectivity with external tools enables smooth algorithm migration
• As an example, MATLAB can be connected to CEVA Debugger allowing parts of the code to run on MATLAB and parts on the Debugger
  
  
• DSP and Communication Libraries
  • C-callable assembly optimized functions target the DSP architecture
  • Native part of compilers standard libraries
  • Can be automatically utilized by the compiler
  • Enables near optimal performance using verified off-the-shelf code
    
    
• Application profiler
  • Cycle accurate C-level application and memory profiler
  • Takes into considerations full memory subsystem
    
    
• Scoring based compilation
  • Multiple iterative compilation levels for cycle count and code size
  • The compiler automatically checks and selects the best option based on speed/size scoring
    
    
• Post linker optimizer
  • Linker level optimizations take into account a global view of the application
  • Resolves cases that cannot be optimized at compile time
  • Achieves significant reduction of application code size
    
    
• Test automation
  • CEVA-Toolbox graphic operations can be recorded into scripts
  • Enables automatic generation of full test suite
  • Control of full IDE environment with standard Perl script

CEVA Application Optimizer Video Demonstration

CEVA Application-Optimized Sample Performance Metrics

With the addition of the Application Optimizer, the enhanced development environment for CEVA's DSP cores dramatically simplifies the software development process and improves the absolute performance of the target application. This is illustrated in the following example figures:

* Numbers relate to worst-case frames and streams, using standard ITU / 3GPP C reference code
** AMR-WB using 8.85Kbps bit-rate