Well I'm glad you asked, because from what I've seen so far it's actually a lot easier than you might suppose. Remember that we're talking about an FPGA with programmable digital fabric, programmable analog fabric, and a hard ARM Cortex-M3 processor core (Click Here for more details). This means that the design environment has to handle two groups of folks who don’t play well together – the hardware designers and the embedded firmware/software developers.

When in doubt, the best thing to do is to look at a picture, because after all "a picture is worth a thousand words," as they say. On the hardware design engineers' side of the fence we have Actel's Libero Integrated Design Environment (IDE) v9.0, which includes Synplify Pro and Identify from Synopsys and ModelSim from Mentor Graphics.

Meanwhile, on the embedded firmware/software developers' side of the fence, we have Actel's SoftConsole v3.1, which is augmented with Keil and IAR Systems software IDEs, plus access to leading RTOS and middleware from Micrium.

Actel's Libero IDE v9.0 delivers a full-featured FPGA design flow, while SoftConsole v3.1, Actel's Eclipse-based software IDE with GNU compiler and debugger, enables the rapid production of C and C++ executables for the microcontroller subsystem (MSS).

But the real key to all of this – "The crux of the biscuit" as Frank Zappa might say – is the MSS Configurator, which straggles both domains and ties everything together. The MSS configurator allows the user to quickly and easily configure the Cortex-M3 processor, hard peripherals, and programmable analog.

Of particular interest is that the configurator can be used as either part of the FPGA flow or as part of the embedded software development flow. For example, the hardware design engineer could configure the system and make this configuration available to the software developer – the software developer doesn’t need to know any nitty-gritty hardware details; he or she can simply take the configuration of the processor and peripherals (including the register map) and run with it. Alternatively, the software developer could configure the processor and peripherals, and then hand the configuration over to the hardware engineer to form the basis of the hardware design. Pretty cool, huh?

A little more detail...
SmartFusion devices involve three different types of design: FPGA, embedded, and analog design. These roles may be filled by three, two or even a single designer, depending on company structure and project complexity.

• FPGA Design: The free Libero IDE is Actel's comprehensive software toolset for designing with all Actel FPGAs. Libero IDE includes industry-leading synthesis, simulation and debug tools such as Synplify Pro and Identify from Synopsys and ModelSim from Mentor Graphics, as well as innovative timing and power optimization and analysis tools.
• Embedded Design: Actel offers free SoftConsole Eclipse-based IDE, which includes the GNU C/C++ compiler and GDB debugger. Actel is partnering with Keil and IAR Systems to provide software IDE support to SmartFusion embedded designers. Free evaluation versions and full-featured versions are available from the respective suppliers.
• Analog Design: One function of the MSS configurator is to provide simple graphical configuration for current, voltage and temperature monitors, sample sequencing setup, and post-processing configuration, as well as DAC output settings.

The MSS configurator not only allows for analog configuration but automatically generates a memory map for any peripherals added in the FPGA fabric, generates all firmware drivers and delivers sample code for each device peripheral, thus creating a bridge between the FPGA and embedded design and enabling device configuration to be easily shared among members of the design team.

Get Designs off the Ground Now
SmartFusion Evaluation Kits are now available so designers can immediately familiarize themselves with this new technology. This introductory platform supports Keil, IAR Systems and Micrium and has the capability to add on daughter cards for vertical applications such as power management. Moving forward, Actel will continue to engage with additional ecosystem suppliers to broaden the portfolio for SmartFusion designers.

SmartFusion Evaluation Kit

In addition, the SmartFusion Development Kit is also now available for designers in need of increased off-chip memory, enhanced analog features and additional interfaces such as CAN, RS-485, and EtherCAT.

SmartFusion Development Kit

Pricing and Availability
Libero IDE v9.0 and SoftConsole v3.1 can be downloaded and installed directly from Actel's website. The Actel Libero Gold edition is available on Windows® XP or Vista free of charge. All editions are one-year renewable licenses.

For more information on Libero IDE visit: www.actel.com/products/software/libero
For more information on SoftConsole visit: www.actel.com/products/software/softconsole
The SmartFusion Evaluation Kit is available now for $99. The SmartFusion Development Kit is available now for $999.