Course detail

Hardware/Software Codesign (in English)

FIT-HSCeAcad. year: 2025/2026

The course focuses on aspects of system level design. Implementation of HW/SW systems optimized according to various criteria. Behavioural and structural HW/SW system description. Basic hardware and software components and interface models. Hardware and software components synthesis. Assignment of behavioural description to given components. Design of interfaces between HW/SW components. Planning access to distributed components. Prediction and design analysis techniques regarding given constrains. HW/SW partitioning algorithms and tools. Heterogeneous computation architectures and platforms. Integrated design tools. Case studies of optimized HW/SW systems.

Language of instruction

English

Number of ECTS credits

5

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

doc. Dr. Ing. Otto Fučík

Department

Department of Computer Systems (UPSY)

Offered to foreign students

Of all faculties

Entry knowledge

Basics of system simulation and design.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

  • Mid-term exam - 20 points. 
  • Project - 25 points. For receiving the credit and thus for entering the exam, students have to obtain at least 5 points from the project. 
  • Final exam - 55 points. The minimal number of points, which can be obtained from the final exam, is 25. Otherwise, no points will be assigned to a student.
  • Plagiarism and not allowed cooperation will cause that involved students are not classified and disciplinary action can be initiated. 

 

 

Aims

The aim of the course is to gain knowledge and skills in HW/SW co-design of computing systems. The students will also learn about models of hardware and software component behavior and mutual interaction, hardware and software partitioning algorithms and techniques and assessment of the quality, and the final system synthesis and optimization according to various criteria.
Students will gain knowledge and skill in theory and techniques of automatized HW/SW co-design of computation systems optimized according to various criteria.
Theoretical background for analysis and design of HW/SW systems.

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

D. D. Gajski, N. D. Dutt, A. C-H Wu, S. Y-L Lin: High-Level Synthesis: Introduction to Chip and System Design, Springer, 1992, ISBN-13: 978-0792391944. (EN)
L. H. Crockett, R. A. Elliot, M. A. Enderwitz and R. W. Stewart: The Zynq Book: Embedded Processing with the ARM CortexA9 on the Xilinx Zynq-7000 All Programmable SoC, First Edition, Strathclyde Academic Media, 2014. (EN)
De Micheli, G., Rolf, E., Wolf, W.: Readings in Hardware/Software Co-design, Morgan Kaufmann; 1. vydání, 2001, 697 s., ISBN: 1558607021. (EN)
M. Fingeroff: High-Level Synthesis Blue Book, Xlibris US, 2010, ISBN ‎ 1450097243. (EN)
Schaumont, P. R.: A Practical Introduction to Hardware/Software Codesign, Second Edition, Springer, 2013, ISBN 978-1-4614-3737-6 (eBook). (EN)

Recommended reading

Lecture notes in e-format. (EN)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme IT-MGR-1H Master's

    specialization MGH , 0 year of study, winter semester, recommended course

  • Programme MIT-EN Master's 0 year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

39 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. Tomáš Martínek, Ph.D.
Ing. Lukáš Kekely, Ph.D.
doc. Dr. Ing. Otto Fučík

Syllabus

    • System-level design methodology for embedded systems.
    • Heterogeneous computation structures, architectures and platforms.
    • Behavioral and structural HW/SW system description.
    • System-level synthesis - allocation, binding and scheduling.
    • HW structures synthesis and optimization.
    • Partitioning algorithms and tools.
    • System-level optimization.
    • Languages for HW/SW system description.
    • CAD tools for HW/SW codesign.
    • Inter-component interfaces and communication.
    • Design estimation and analysis techniques.
    • Low-power design techniques.

    Project

    13 hod., compulsory

    Teacher / Lecturer

    doc. Dr. Ing. Otto Fučík

    Syllabus

    Individual thirteen-hour project.