Simulation, design abstraction, and SystemC

Abstract

SystemC is a system-level design and simulation language based on Cþþ. We've been using SystemC for computer organization and design projects for the past several years. Because SystemC is embedded in Cþþ it contains the powerful abstraction mechanisms of Cþþ not found in traditional hardware description languages, such as support for object-oriented programming and generic programming (templates). This support for abstraction allows instructors to reinforce standard abstraction concepts such as information hiding, interfaces, and abstract data types, standard fare in a computer science curriculum. Furthermore, embedded software is often written in Cþþ and SystemC provides threading facilities useful for designing and implementing embedded software.