NSL (Next Synthesis Language)

is a new-generation hardware description language that is a step ahead of RTL (Register Transfer Level).

The architects, who themselves are hardware designers discussed repeatedly and designed the language aiming for how to improve the user experience of all the excellent hardware designers. Of course, the productivity enhancement requested along with making LSI large-scale is one of the purposes.

The roots of NSL is CSP (Communicating Sequential Processes, 1978, C. A. Hoare). The representative language that adopted this ideal for von Neumann computer includes OCCAM (1983, D. May) famous for Transputer, and SFL/PARTHENON (1985, NTT) as an example of adoption for hardware. We examined the past cases in detail for applying CSP to the hardware optimally, and may take pride in having established a new language system that achieved a fine balance between the fine-graded parallel processing and the sequential processing from the standpoint of the hardware architects.

The development of a logical, synthesis engine of NSL started at IP ARCH, Inc. (Hawaii, USA) in 2002, and its maturity has been advanced continuously. There have been a lot of timing-critical design application cases such as PCI bus controller, SDRAM controller, and USB controller, etc. not to mention the microprocessor, and the synthesis engine has a creditable reliability.

The language processor to get on the synthesis engine was newly redesigned from the end of 2009 as a new-generation language of NSL, and it will be supplied from Overtone Corporation.

NSL values the past properties and experiences of you, who may use this language for the first time. The design properties of Verilog HDL and VHDL accumulated in the past can be integrated directly into the new-generation designs that use NSL. Also, SystemC and NSL can be integrated for verification purpose.

In addition, the nominal notation of NSL is made the one that looks like both Verilog HDL and C language so as not to disturb the intuition of you, who have used the past RTL.

A big difference between NSL and the behavioral synthesis languages overflowing on the streets is shown in the point where the hardware generation can be controlled 100% in every clock cycle. Therefore, describing by NSL can easily achieve a high-performance microprocessor, etc. that implements an advanced pipeline process that includes an interlock.

NSL is the language for you, who have known every detail about the hardware, and are an excellent engineer.

Overtone Corporation
Chief Technical Officer
Naohiko Shimizu, Ph.D.