HW/SW Co-design of a PCM/PWM converter: a System Level Approach based in the SpecC Methodology

Abstract--[Original work from 2005; formatting revised in 2025, with no changes to the results.] We present a case study applying the SpecC methodology within a system-level hardware/software co-design flow to a PCM-to-PWM converter, the core of a Class-D audio amplifier . The converter was model ed and explored with SpecC methodology to derive an HW/SW partition. Using system-level estimates and fast function al simulation, we evaluated mappings that meet real-time constraint s while reducing estimated cost of an all-hardware solution and avo iding the expense of a purely software implementation on a high-en d processor . Despite the design's moderate complexity, the r esults underline the value of system-level co-design for early arc hitec-tural insight, rapid validation, and actionable cost/perf ormance trade-offs. The recent requirements of the semiconductors industry has lead the design methodologies evolution in order to fill the design gap detected by the 1999 Roadmap [1]. Today design has very high integration density and complex functionalit ies to implement arising the necessity to use a higher level of abstraction, the so-called System Level.