Stop Coding RTL First - A Smarter Path to Hardware Design Using SystemC

Modern hardware design keeps demanding more -- more speed to market, more flexibility to absorb late spec changes, more scalability across derivative products. Yet the traditional flow is still built around a hard split: algorithm designers work in one model, architects explore another, and RTL verification engineers build yet another from scratch once the "real" design begins. Every handoff between those models is a place where intent gets lost, assumptions get re-guessed, and bugs get reintroduced that the previous stage had already ruled out. We tolerate this not because it's efficient, but because it's familiar.

A unified SystemC model breaks that split by refusing to treat algorithm validation, architectural exploration, HLS input, and RTL verification as separate problems. They aren't – they are four views onto the same design intent and forcing that intent through four separate models is where most of the schedule risk actually lives.

What makes a single C/C++-based model capable of standing in for all four is that it captures the properties each stage cares about, in one place: parallelism, timing, communication, and bit-accurate behavior.

An architect exploring trade-offs and a verification engineer checking correctness are no longer working from different truths -- they're working from the same one, albeit at different points in its lifecycle. That's not just a productivity gain. It changes what's verifiable, and when. 

The result of all this? You architect faster and iterate smarter.

Modern chip design is becoming too complex for lengthy manual RTL development alone. SystemC enables engineers to:

• Explore multiple architectures quickly
• Validate functionality earlier
• Bridge software and hardware teams
• Accelerate RTL generation through HLS tools
• Focus on design decisions instead of syntax
• Faster design cycles and better architectural decisions early in the flow allow you to optimize the design for targeted PPA.

Faster design cycles and better architectural decisions early in the flow allow you to optimize the design for targeted PPA.

Why SystemC?

You're comfortable with C/C++ but hardware design feels like a giant leap into RTL. Suddenly, you're dealing with clocks, signals, finite state machines, timing constraints, and thousands of lines of Verilog.

What if you could explore architectures, verify functionality, and move toward RTL using skills you already have? That's exactly where SystemC changes the game.

SystemC occupies a unique position in digital design, sitting at the intersection of software abstraction and hardware accuracy. It is not merely a programming language; it is a hardware modeling framework built on C++, incorporated with hardware behavior constructs that allow designers to describe behavior, architecture, communication, concurrency, and timing at multiple abstraction levels.

This makes it exceptionally suitable for High-Level Synthesis.

Training Overview - What You’ll Learn

This two-day training traverses SystemC fundamentals and gradually progresses toward architecture exploration, optimization, and synthesis concepts through guided explanations and hands-on labs.

You will gain familiarity with SystemC by:

• Creating synthesizable SystemC designs from the ground up
• Modeling complex hardware behavior with concurrency and hierarchy
• Writing HLS-friendly code using hardware-aware SystemC techniques
• Exploring performance, area, and throughput trade-offs through optimization
• Building industry-standard communication interfaces and protocols
• Developing the skills to verify, debug, and validate hardware designs
• Applying everything in a complete FIR filter design and synthesis workflow

What Will You Build?

The training is not just theory—you’ll apply concepts through a FIR filter lab, where you:

• Model the design in SystemC
• Simulate and verify functionality
• Run synthesis using Stratus HLS
• Analyze generated RTL

Who Should Take This Course?

If you’re involved in hardware design at any level, this course is built for:

• Hardware/software engineers
• Design and system architects
• Managers planning HLS-based projects

What Sets This Training Apart: 

• Unified design flow: Helps you move seamlessly from high-level modeling to RTL without switching paradigms.
• Architecture-centric thinking: Make informed decisions about performance, area, and throughput early in the design cycle.
• Industry-relevant tools: Stratus HLS usage and exercise modern verification flows.
• Reusable skills: Apply concepts across domains ranging from display processing units to communication systems.

Outcome

The future of hardware design isn't about writing RTL sooner. It's about making better architectural decisions sooner. If you're looking to bridge the gap between software thinking and hardware implementation, SystemC provides one of the most practical paths to get there.

• Transform algorithms into hardware-ready designs
• Optimize designs using pipelining, parallelism, and architectural exploration
• Build robust, scalable, and verifiable HLS-based solution

Where to Take the Training?

The training is available in two versions:

• Live Training [Instructor-Led]: Please contact Cadence Training.
• Online Training [Self-Learning]: Learn more about the online course on the Cadence ASK site.

Customers/learners will be presented with a badge exam after course completion, and upon successfully achieving the grade, the learner will earn a badge.

Want to stay up to date on webinars and courses? Subscribe to Cadence Training emails. To view our complete training offerings, visit the Cadence Training website.

What Next?

Explore deeper insights into Stratus HLS and digital design methodologies:

• Stratus HLS - Digital Design - Cadence Blogs - Cadence Community
• Might of Design Exploration: Deep Dive of Exploration Techniques in Stratus HLS - Digital Design - Cadence Blogs - Cadence Community

Enhance your expertise through the following relevant training:

• Stratus-HLS Basic Training
• Cadence Cerebrus Intelligent Chip Explorer

What Is Accelerated Learning?

The faster you finish your online training, the sooner you can claim your Digital Badge. Want to know how accelerated learning works? Our video walks you through the pre-quiz, navigation, and essential features. We're regularly adding new Accelerated Learning titles.

Accelerated Learning courses are marked with this symbol   in our Learning Maps.