Caching in on Analysis

The on-chip bus interconnect has become a critical subsystem of a System On a Chip (SoC). Its function is to route data between different parts of the system at a rate that allows the system to meet its performance goals. The scale and complexity of the interconnect varies from a single switching block, routing transactions between bus masters and bus slaves, to a hierarchy of switches organized to maximize through-put. Verifying that the interconnect works correctly requires that the various bus ports in the system adhere to the protocol specification; that the system address map has been implemented correctly; and that the overall interconnect fabric delivers on its performance goals.