Component-Oriented Operating Logic for FPGAs (COOL FPGA)

The Navy Joint Strike Fighter program has a need for a design methodology to develop logic designs for large, complex FPGA-based systems. This methodology should allow FPGA logic created for one version of the on-board avionics hardware to be easily transitioned to more advanced versions. The goal is to avoid major revisions and extensive regression testing of the FPGA application logic. To address these needs, Systran Federal Corp. proposes a system called the Component-Oriented Operating Logic for FPGAs (COOL-FPGA). COOL-FPGA will act as an abstraction layer between the hardware and the application logic. The objective is to isolate FPGA application logic from hardware-specific details of the platform on which the logic is running. When the FPGA logic is ported to new hardware, only the Operating Logic will require extensive modifications; the application logic will require minimal updating. "Component-Oriented" indicates that FPGA applications built using this Operating Logic are meant to be created as discrete modules that are highly isolated from each other. The project will also include two software tools: the Application Builder, that enables COOL-FPGA application development, and the System Analyzer, that supports high-level simulation and analysis of multiple FPGA applications running on a single platform.