High-Level Synthesis: Why Now?

March 27, 2015 – With a title like “Why Now?”, you might expect this to be a sales blog, a thinly veiled pitch trying to tell you why you should be using high-level synthesis (HLS) today. But, in fact, that is not the point at all.

Nor is this a blog about why Cadence decided that now is the time to step up its investment in high-level synthesis (starting just over a year ago by acquiring Forte, culminating with the recent introduction of the Stratus™ HLS platform). For one thing, I wasn’t part of that initial decision; I was on the other end, coming from Forte. For another, I’m quite certain this blog would be my last act as a Cadence employee if I chose to divulge corporate financial strategies…

Instead, the topic I’m addressing is the more modest but immediately relevant question, “Why is now the time to create a HLS blog?”

That is something I can explain!

High-level synthesis has a long and, uh, interesting past. My long-time followers (thanks, Mom!) may remember I took a walk down memory lane a few years ago in Gabe Moretti’s Gabe on EDA, starting with my experiences as an applications engineer for an HLS start-up in Pittsburgh. (I’ll let the EDA historians out there triangulate in on that reference.) So I won’t rehash that here.

Fast forward to today... The HLS user community has rapidly grown, which means the applications, use models, flows, and challenges HLS supports and needs to support have also grown rapidly. Some challenges are easy. Frankly, some are not.

My point is that there is so much going on in the high-level synthesis community, and in so many directions, that no one can follow it all. Frankly, this is good problem to have.

So that is the answer to original question: “Why Now?” to create an HLS blog.

The goal is simple. Discuss. Educate. Learn. Grow awareness. Do these, and our community will continue to grow… and hopefully grow in ways we wouldn’t have expected.

In the coming weeks, months, and years, we’ll have an ongoing discussion of what’s going on in HLS. Applications engineers and solutions engineers will talk about tips, tricks, and approaches they have found to be successful with their users. We’ll point to white papers and other resources that give insights on novel uses of HLS.

Most importantly, I want to hear from you about what you would like to know about HLS. Or, for those of you already experienced with HLS, please feel free to contribute your knowledge to this discussion.

In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about Cadence Stratus™ High-Level Synthesis, please click here. I make two cents for every click. (Mom, that was a joke!)

Dave Pursley