Event-Driven Embedded System Synthesis

One can argue that hardware design is fast disappearing into the ether of software, especially for embedded systems. Complex algorithms can be synthesized directly into hardware by designers who are ignorant of many of the tradeoffs being made right under their nose. Application-specific engines are synthesized in custom programmable logic and interfaced to embedded soft and hard IP cores in days rather than months. The ability to leverage existing IP allows complex systems to be realized in a fraction the design time and cost. That being said, the vast majority of such systems use fixed hardware designs where the system is composed of and largely exists in custom software and software interfaces. There are several issues with this strategy, the most pressing being system feedback loop delays depend on software timing and tim