Hardware/Software Codesign

• 39 hrs lectures
• 13 hrs projects

• 55 pts final exam (written part)
• 20 pts mid-term test (written part)
• 25 pts projects

Students will gain knowledge and skill in theory and techniques of automatized HW/SW co-design of computation systems optimized according to various criteria.
Theoretical background for analysis and design of HW/SW systems.

The aim of the course is to gain knowledge and skills in HW/SW co-design of computing systems. The students will also learn about models of hardware and software component behavior and mutual interaction, hardware and software partitioning algorithms and techniques and assessment of the quality, and the final system synthesis and optimization according to various criteria.

Basics of system simulation and design.

• System-level design methodology for embedded systems.
• Heterogeneous computation structures, architectures and platforms.
• Behavioral and structural HW/SW system description.
• System-level synthesis - allocation, binding and scheduling.
• HW structures synthesis and optimization.
• CAD tools for HW/SW codesign.
• Languages for HW/SW system description.
• Design estimation and analysis techniques.
• Low-power design techniques.
• Models of computation.
• Inter-component interfaces and communication.
• Partitioning algorithms and tools.
• System-level optimization.

Individual thirteen-hour project.

• project (25 points)
• mid exam (20 points)
• final exam (55 points)
• 
  Exam prerequisites:
  For receiving the credit and thus for entering the exam, students have to obtain at least five points from the project. Plagiarism and not allowed cooperation will cause that involved students are not classified and disciplinary action may be initiated.

The knowledge of students is examined by the mid-exam (20 points), the project (25 pints) and by the final exam. The minimal number of points, which can be obtained from the final exam, is 25 (of 55 points). Otherwise, no points will be assigned to a student. Plagiarism and not allowed cooperation will cause that involved students are not classified and disciplinary action can be initiated.

For receiving the credit and thus for entering the exam, students have to obtain at least five points from the project. Plagiarism and not allowed cooperation will cause that involved students are not classified and disciplinary action may be initiated.