The SoC Foundation of Functional Safety & Reliability
For complex SoCs in advanced process nodes, CPU duplication and memory protection logic are no longer sufficient to address all the metrics required to meet the more stringent ISO 26262 ASIL and IEC 61508 SIL levels. Data traffic must now be protected throughout the chip floorplan.
The Arteris FlexNoC Resilience Package provides hardware-based data protection for increased SoC reliability and functional safety.
In addition to providing functional-safety compliant IP, Arteris is working closely with YOGITECH S.p.A. to create a set of deliverables which can be used as a starting point in the preparation of ISO 26262 work products.
Implementing functional safety and data protection features in hardware is easier and less risky than software-only implementations.
We have worked with Arteris NoC technology since 2010, and are excited that Arteris has brought its significant engineering prowess to help solve the problems of fault tolerant and reliable SoC design.
Elchanan Rushinek, Vice President of Engineering, Mobileye
A short ISO 26262 tutorial from Arteris IP and SemiEngineering.com
Hardware IP functional safety is better than software because:
- Reduced Complexity – Software takes much more effort to develop and maintain than certifiable hardware IP;
- Improved Quality – Hardware IP is pre-tested and can be pre-certified while future software quality presents risk;
- Enhanced Control – Semi vendors set a baseline of safety features that must be implemented which is less risky than low grade software developed without knowledge, input or feedback.
FlexNoC Resilience Package features include:
- Data protection through error-correcting code (ECC) and parity checking
- Out-of-the-box support for ARM Cortex-R5 and Cortex–R7 Processor Port Checking
- Unit protection by duplication and redundancy
- Similar to dual-core lockstep (DCLS) and often required for ASIL C or D systems as specified in the automotive ISO 26262 standard
- Duplicate unit checkers and fault safety controller
- Built in Self-Test (BIST) for resilience functions
- Data protection by monitoring
- Data packet integrity checkers
- Easy partitioning of any SoC into safe and non-safe domains.
Data protection is not just for Automotive!
Arteris customers include a wide range of companies developing SoCs for many markets including:
Enterprise SSD controllers - Three major SSD vendors announced, including SK Hynix.- Industrial automation - Schneider Electric and Renesas Electronics
- Automotive - Mobilieye, Altera, Texas Instruments, Harman, iC-Logic and unannounced customers
What industry leaders say
We chose the Arteris Ncore cache coherent interconnect because of its unique proxy caches and their ability to underpin high-performance, low power, cache coherent clusters of our unique AI accelerators. And with our prior experience using FlexNoC and the FlexNoC Resilience Packages for functional safety, we trust Arteris IP to be the highest performing and safest choice for ISO 26262-compliant NoC IP.
Elchanan Rushinek, Vice President of Engineering, Mobileye
Altera SoC FPGAs are architected to ensure customers have a solid foundation upon which to build their embedded systems, and using Arteris’ network-on-chip IP has helped us create a superior SoC FPGA. The Arteris FlexNoC Resilience IP will make it easier for Altera to implement more dependable SoC FPGAs for fault tolerant systems in the future.
Ty Garibay, Vice President of IC Engineering, Altera
Arteris FlexNoC fabric IP has been our choice for SoC development since 2008. The data protection and redundancy features included in the FlexNoC Resilience Package will help us design and implement our fault tolerant SoCs faster and at a higher quality level than possible before.
Matthias Voigt, General Manager, Engineering Group, Renesas Electronics Europe
A growing number (of semiconductor vendors) are turning to safety- and security-optimized network-on-chip subsystems for SoCs, such as the FlexNoC Resilience Package, to lower the development costs and time it takes to achieve the ISO 26262 certification, enabling both media-intense processing and certifiable mission critical solutions in an integrated SoC.
Tom Hackenberg, Automotive Embedded Processors Principal Analyst, IHS Technology
Available today
Contact Arteris today to start using the FlexNoC Resilience Package!
