PLS’ UDE 2021 provides debugging and trace support for Infineon next generation AURIX™ TC4x automotive microcontrollers

With the new Universal Debug Engine® UDE 2021 from PLS Programmierbare Logik & Systeme GmbH, engineers get the perfect tool for debugging and testing multi-core software for the next generation of automotive applications.

UDE 2021 combines comprehensive functions for debugging, trace and runtime analysis with intuitive and efficient usage. In addition to fundamental debugging functions, wide-ranging features for test automation, in-system FLASH programming, support for a wide variety of real-time operating systems and for the development of AUTOSAR software are provided. The hardware basis for the powerful functions of the UDE is the Universal Access Device (UAD) family, which at the same time ensures efficient and robust communication with the supported architectures and controllers.

UDE's strength lies in its modular and flexible software architecture, which is perfectly suited to meet the requirements of such a powerful and heterogeneous multi-core SoC as the AURIX™ TC4x to the tools. Due to its long-standing, intensive partnership with Infineon, PLS is naturally very familiar with the architectural features of all microcontrollers and multicore SoCs supported by UDE. Therefore, for example, the UDE enables debugging of the TC 1.8 cores and the specialized accelerator cores PPU, GTM and CSRM smoothly in a common debugger instance. Thus, separate debuggers for the different core architectures like the Synopsys ARC for the PPU are not needed. Currently UDE allows debugging of C/C++ code as well as assembler code and supports binaries that are built by compilers from HighTec, Synopsys and Tasking. Support for the Synopsys MetaWare OpenCL C compiler that is used to build PPU code is in preparation.

During pre-silicon development, engineers also benefit from UDE’s powerful debug capabilities. Together with the Synopsys Virtualizer Development Kit for AURIX™ TC4x, the UDE can be used for developing applications on virtual prototypes. The UDE debugger license for AURIX™ also includes instruction set simulator TSim for the TC 1.8 cores.

Right now, UDE is ready for the first silicon. Developers can rely on UDE as an efficient and powerful debug tool from the first day of the availability of the next generation AURIX™.

Besides the basic debug functions, UDE will also provide support for on-chip trace together with the award-winning Universal Emulation Configurator (UEC). An adaptation to the high-speed serial trace interface of the AURIX™ is also in preparation and will be available for the devices UAD2next and UAD3+ of the Universal Access Device family that complements UDE’s debug functions with a fast and robust target access