Synopsys unveils electronics digital twin platform for AI-driven systems

Synopsys has introduced a groundbreaking open electronics digital twin platform aimed at expediting the development of software-defined products and physical AI systems. This innovative platform empowers engineering teams to construct and oversee virtual replicas of intricate electronics systems at an earlier stage in the design process.

The newly launched Synopsys Electronics Digital Twin (eDT) Platform is specifically tailored for industries experiencing a surge in software complexity, with a particular focus on the automotive sector. For readers of eeNews Europe engaged in cutting-edge embedded and automotive systems, this technology signifies a notable shift towards virtual-first development workflows that can significantly reduce development cycles and enhance collaboration between hardware and software teams.

Digital twins revolutionize automotive development

The eDT Platform is meticulously crafted to generate, deploy, and manage electronics digital twins — virtual representations of hardware, software, and system interactions. Synopsys asserts that these digital twins empower engineering teams to simulate and validate software and system behavior well before physical hardware is accessible.

Initially honing in on automotive applications, the platform enables Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to validate up to 90% of software prior to the availability of hardware. By facilitating development and integration at an earlier stage, this approach has the potential to curtail both development costs and time-to-market for new vehicles.

“Volvo Cars is swiftly embracing holistic, whole-vehicle validation, and we are integrating that rigor into the initial stages of design and development,” remarked Johannes Foufas, Technical Manager, Software Factory at Volvo Cars. “Central to this transformation is our pioneering utilization of electronics digital twins in collaboration with Synopsys. Through virtualized Electronic Control Units (ECUs), our teams can conduct testing and validation early in the process, even before the existence of hardware, enabling us to reduce development costs, enhance software quality, and expedite innovation across our vehicles’ lifecycle.”

According to Synopsys, contemporary vehicles may encompass over 600 million lines of software code sourced from numerous suppliers, underscoring the escalating importance of early system validation.

“Automotive engineering teams are facing mounting challenges with over 600 million lines of software, a multitude of software suppliers, rapidly diminishing development cycles, and escalating cost pressures,” stated Ravi Subramanian, Chief Product Management Officer at Synopsys. “The evolution towards intelligent system development, spanning from vehicles to AI-driven factories, necessitates a fundamentally different approach — one that establishes a connection between silicon designs, software behavior, and comprehensive system validation from the outset of development. With the introduction of the new eDT Platform, Synopsys is revolutionizing engineering by laying the groundwork for an end-to-end digital twin ecosystem, amalgamating our product and market leadership in providing virtual System-on-Chip (SoC) models and large-scale system simulations, alongside our extensive partner network, to streamline, expedite, and scale the development of next-generation vehicles.”

Cloud-based engineering labs and ecosystem support

A pivotal aspect of the platform is the capability to establish cloud-based “eDT Labs,” which amalgamate Synopsys technologies, partner tools, models, and scalable computing resources within a readily deployable development environment. These labs are adept at supporting early System-on-Chip (SoC) evaluation, software development prior to hardware availability, collaborative development across suppliers, and continuous system validation workflows.

The platform seamlessly integrates with partner technologies across the automotive ecosystem. Synopsys emphasizes that the pre-integrated tools encompass silicon models, debugging and simulation environments, and software Intellectual Property (IP) components.

Cloud deployment plays a pivotal role in the platform’s architecture. It supports both Software as a Service (SaaS) and bring-your-own-cloud models, and is compatible with infrastructures such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) featuring Graviton4 processors to facilitate large-scale virtual testing environments.

Industry collaborators including Arm, AWS, and Vector are endorsing this initiative, underscoring the escalating demand for scalable virtual validation tools as software-defined vehicles and AI-driven systems continue to grow in complexity.