2006年8月，nios推出C到硬件描述语言编译器

C-to-Hardware Acceleration (C2H) Compiler（C到硬件描述语言编译器）

    The Nios® II C-to-Hardware Acceleration (C2H) Compiler is a tool thatallows you to create custom hardware accelerators directly from ANSI Csource code. A hardware accelerator is a block of logic that implements aC function in hardware, which often improves the execution performanceby an order of magnitude. Using the C2H Compiler, you can develop anddebug an algorithm in C targeting an Altera® Nios II processor, and then quickly convert the C code to a hardware accelerator implemented in afield programmable gate array (FPGA).The C2H Compiler improves the performance of Nios II programs byimplementing specific C functions as hardware accelerators. TheC2H Compiler is not a tool for creating arbitrary hardware systems using C as a design language.

特点：
The C2H Compiler is founded on the following premises:
 ANSI C syntax is sufficient to describe computationally intensive or memory access-intensive tasks. A C-to-hardware tool must not disrupt existing software and hardware development flows.Based on these premises, the C2H Compiler's design methodology
provides the following features:
1。ANSI C compliance – The C2H Compiler operates on plain ANSI C code, and supports most C constructs, including pointers, arrays,structures, global and local variables, loops, and subfunction calls.The C2HCompiler does not require special syntax or library functions to specify the structure of the hardware. UnsupportedANSI C constructs are documented.
2。 Straightforward C-to-hardware mapping – The C2H Compiler maps each element of C syntax to a defined hardware structure, giving you control over the structure of your hardware accelerator.


3。 Integration with the Nios II integrated development environment(IDE) – You control the C2H Compiler with the Nios II IDE. You donot need to learn a new environment to use the C2H Compiler.
4。 Based on SOPC Builder and the Avalon switch fabric – The C2H Compiler uses SOPC Builder as the infrastructure to connect hardware accelerators into Nios II systems. A C2H accelerator becomes a component within an existing Nios II system. SOPC Builder automatically generates Avalon switch fabric to connect the accelerator to the system, saving you the time of manually integrating the hardware accelerator.（设计方便）
5。 Reporting of generated results – The C2H Compiler produces a detailed report of hardware structure, resource usage, and throughput.

[此贴子已经被作者于2007-1-30 20:31:33编辑过]