Xilinx announced availability of version 8.2i of his Platform Studio tool suite for embedded processing design. The tool suite is part of the Xilinx Embedded Development Kit (EDK) and introduces access support for the company's 65nm Virtex-5 LX domain-optimized FPGAs. The latest release of Platform Studio 8.2i incorporates design enhancements to optimize embedded processing development and debug. A new configuration wizard aides in setting up debug sessions and version 8.2i includes a specific MicroBlaze Trace Core (MTC) from embedded partner Agilent Technologies. The MTC allows capture of real-time code flow with triggering capabilities and deep memory trace while using Agilent Windows-based logic analyzers. Additionally, version 8.2i improves status visibility of IP cores as well as the performance of invoking internal tools and loading large designs.

Pricing and Availability

Platform Studio 8.2i supports PowerPC(TM) and MicroBlaze processor designs for the Xilinx Virtex-5, Virtex-4, Virtex-II Pro, Spartan-3E and Spartan-3 Platform FPGAs. It is immediately available for the following computing platforms: Windows 2000 SP2, SP3, SP4 and XP SP1, SP2, Solaris 2.8/5.8 and 2.9/5.9, as well as Linux Red Hat Enterprise 3.0. The Platform Studio embedded tool suite is conveniently bundled with a processing IP library, software drivers, documentation, reference designs and the MicroBlaze soft processor IP core in the new 8.2i release of the Xilinx Embedded Development Kit (EDK) for $495 US list. Evaluation versions of the Xilinx Integrated Software Environment (ISE) 8.2i logic design tools and ChipScope Pro hardware debugger are included.