Python in the hardware world: MyHDL

Initially, the presenter will discuss the current state of the Electronics Design Automation (EDA) industry with emphasis on simulation complexity at different design stages (such as Architecture definition, RTL and then Gate level simulations). Next, the present methods of hardware modeling will be discussed, explaining how the power of python can be put to good use in this context.

As this talk discusses two topics which have been relatively unrelated till now, the presenter will provide some examples which will demonstrate the usage of MyHDL (the python hardware simulation package) in typical hardware modeling and simulation environments.

• Introduction to EDA, hardware modeling and simulation.
• The importance of simulation time in the hardware world.
• Introduction to MyHDL - A python package for hardware modeling and simulation.
• MyHDL use cases. What are the pros and cons of using Python as a HDL.
• Some examples demonstrating python power in HDL modeling and simulation.
• Q&A

The following links might be worth exploring.

[1] http://www.myhdl.org

[2] http://www.opencores.org/

Anish has been working in the Semiconductor industry for the past two years, and has been involved in tasks such as performance modelling, RTL/Netlist Verification and Silicon Validation. Further, he has been contributing to the OLPC/SugarLabs FOSS projects for the past few months. The topics that interest him the most are FOSS, Education & Learning, Research and Enterpreneurship. He lives in New Delhi, India.

• email - anish@sugarlabs.org
• website (old and not updated very often) - http://sites.google.com/site/webanish/