Guest Editor's Introduction: The Reuse of Complex Architectures

Platform-Based Design is an efficient way to design complex system-on-a-chip (SoC)products.PBD moves beyond the reuse of individual IP blocks, to the reuse of complex architectures of hardware and software components organized for a specific application domain. Platforms, along with libraries of predesigned and characterized hardware and software virtual components, enable rapid, low-risk creation of derivative products. Examples of SoC platforms include wireless handset chipsets, digital multimedia devices (such as set-top boxes), automotive systems, and personal digital assistants (PDAs).