A technical assessment of SoC methodologies and requirements for a full-blown methodology

Abstract

SoC plays a key role in building software-intensive hardware systems such as embedded systems. It is commonly known that the complexity of SoC and the demand for shorter time-to-market are sharply increasing. However, current SoC methodologies do not address the trends and demands effectively. To provide SoC methodologies that satisfy these issues, the current SoC methodologies should be technically assessed so that the full requirement for future SoC methodologies can be formulated. In this paper, we first give a foundation on SoC, and summaries representative methodologies compared. For the comparison, we identified six comparison criteria and present in-depth assessments using logical reasoning in text, tables, and figures. Using the assessment, we define and elaborate three key requirements for future SoC methodologies; Balanced Process Framework, Reuse-focused Activity, and Traceability.