Note/Origins of DesignWare ARC nSIM

#FLASHBACK — nSIM resembles the productized variant of ArcSim, a research simulator prototype developed by the PASTA research group at The University of Edinburgh . At the time of its product release in 2012, it immediately replaced all previous ARC simulation products, and has now become a cornerstone of the ARC and ARC-V product lines. Synopsys publicly confirmed that the nSIM simulation technology is “an essential tool enabling Synopsys to create all of its key strategic processor product families to date.”

According to a UK Research Excellence Framework Impact Study published in 2021, Synopsys stated that 90% of its clients go on to customize their processors, demonstrating the commercial demand for the [nSIM] simulator. The nSIM’s latest product feature—Near Cycle Accurate Simulation Mode (NCAM)—“is based directly on productised micro-architectural simulation technology developed in ArcSim during the PASTA research project at Edinburgh University.”

Professor Nigel Topham, in his role as Director of the Institute for Computing Systems Architecture in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh, talks about the PASTA project, which focuses on developing new ways to automate the design of embedded processors. Midway he also mentions ArcSim and the simulation technology developed as part of the PASTA project.