APPLICATIONS

Legacy Designs

The HDL Translator enables engineers to reuse existing legacy designs written in another HDL language. Unlike low-level (netlist) conversion, the design resulting from HDL translation can be understood and maintained, particularly if the comments are preserved during translation.

Heterogeneous Design Environment

Sometimes mergers or acquisitions result in a company having a heterogeneous design environment. Some products are designed in VHDL and some in Verilog. Converting the designs to a single language increases efficiency and reduces engineering costs.

IP Core Vendors

Many vendors, including us, offer IP (Intellectual Property) Cores for sale. Each IP Core is a self-contained design which provides a functional building block that can be integrated into a customer’s system. These are usually written in HDL for design portability. We call them HDL modules. Offering each core, or HDL module, in both VHDL and Verilog has the clear benefit of doubling a vendor’s customer base.

Engineer Training

HDL Translator is a great training tool for hardware designers who want to learn the other language to expand their skill sets. Companies who offer help with such transition will see their pool of qualified engineers markedly increase.