Standards evolve over time, continuously incorporating previously non-standard extensions. Innovations begin as non-standard extensions, and become candidates for standardization when they have acquired broad-based acceptance and support. Bluespec, like other companies committed to standardization, fully endorses this process for its innovations.

Standardization Committees
Bluespec is a member of Accellera, IEEE and SPIRIT. Since shortly after its inception, Bluespec has been a member of Accellera. As an active member of Accellera’s committee developing the SystemVerilog language, Bluespec was one of only five companies that contributed language features. Bluespec’s proposals to SystemVerilog 3.1a were accepted.

Since last year, the standardization of version 3.1a has been shifted to IEEE. Bluespec is an active member of IEEE’s hardware design language standardization efforts, including the IEEE P1800 (SystemVerilog) standard.

Bluespec joined SPIRIT, the industry’s new initiative for IP re-use.

Interoperability
A fundamental second dimension to promoting standards involves interoperability. There are two aspects to Bluespec’s interoperability work: partnerships and flow testing.

To date, Bluespec has partnered with the following companies, enabling access to their solutions for use in flow testing: Synopsys, Cadence, Mentor, Magma, Verisity, and Novas.

Bluespec performs extensive flow testing between its solution and others, along the following dimensions: Simulation, RTL synthesis, and HDL analysis with its generated Verilog RTL, co-simulation with both Verilog and SystemC with its simulator of C-models, and debugging with its generated VCD output.

Bluespec’s Strategy and Commitment
Once IEEE’s SystemVerilog standardization efforts shift from being retrospective, establishing a standard based on the existing 3.1a work, to forward looking, by considering new enhancements, Bluespec will drive to standardize its remaining enhancements. As standards are driven by industry support not just technical merit, Bluespec will seek the support and efforts of its customers in the standardization process.