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| Xilinx SDK | |
|---|---|
| Name | Xilinx SDK |
| Developer | Xilinx, Inc. |
| Released | 2011 |
| Latest release | 2018 |
| Operating system | Linux, Microsoft Windows |
| License | Proprietary |
Xilinx SDK is an integrated development environment produced by Xilinx for the development of embedded software targeting programmable system-on-chip devices and platforms. It provided C/C++ toolchains, libraries, and debugging facilities for developers working with embedded processors on programmable logic devices produced by Xilinx and used in products by companies such as AMD and Avnet. The environment integrated with Xilinx's hardware design flows and was used alongside hardware-oriented tools from companies including Cadence Design Systems, Mentor Graphics, and Synopsys.
Xilinx SDK offered an Eclipse-based IDE that combined compiler toolchains, board support packages, and debug agents for embedded processors such as those derived from ARM Holdings and custom cores implemented in FPGA fabric. The tool supported application development for platforms created with hardware design tools from vendors such as OrCAD, Altera Corporation, and collaboration partners like National Instruments. Xilinx SDK included runtime libraries for real-time operating systems and bare-metal applications that interfaced with hardware described in flows involving Vivado Design Suite and legacy tools from Xilinx, Inc..
Xilinx SDK emerged as part of Xilinx's push to provide a unified software development solution after the consolidation of embedded tool offerings in the early 2010s, following industry shifts influenced by events such as acquisitions involving AMD and standards work from ARM Ltd.. Development milestones aligned with releases of programmable devices like the Zynq-7000 series and later heterogeneous systems that reflected trends in projects driven by organizations including DARPA and European Space Agency. The SDK's evolution tracked with ecosystem activities involving silicon vendors such as Intel Corporation (formerly Altera Corporation) and toolchain vendors such as Linaro and GNU Project.
The SDK's architecture combined an Eclipse-based front end with back-end toolchains from builders like the GNU Project and vendor-supplied compilers. Major components included a Board Support Package (BSP) generator, a standalone BSP template system, and link-time utilities that interfaced with debuggers such as GNU Debugger and trace components compatible with probes from vendors like SEGGER and ARM Keil. The subsystem supported middleware stacks and communication frameworks developed alongside projects at institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University, and was designed to consume hardware descriptions produced by tools related to Vivado and other synthesis flows.
Xilinx SDK supported embedded processors integrated in devices from Xilinx families including the Zynq UltraScale+ and Spartan series as well as soft-core processors implemented in fabric similar to designs used in research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and commercial products from Cisco Systems. Toolchain support included GCC toolchains maintained by the GNU Project, cross-compilers influenced by initiatives at Linaro Limited, and debug interfaces interoperable with standards promoted by ARM and interoperability groups such as IEEE. The software ran on host operating systems including distributions from Red Hat and consumer platforms such as Microsoft Windows.
Typical workflows used Xilinx SDK in concert with hardware design flows where engineers moved from hardware description languages and synthesis steps involving tools used by teams at Intel Corporation and IBM to software development phases employing SDK projects, BSP customization, and linking against libraries developed by organizations like Freescale Semiconductor and Analog Devices. Development cycles incorporated testing and integration with continuous integration systems inspired by practices at GitHub and GitLab, and leveraged debugging hardware compatible with probes from SEGGER and test instrumentation from companies such as Keysight Technologies.
Debugging in Xilinx SDK provided source-level debugging, hardware breakpoints, and peripheral-aware tracing consistent with features found in environments developed by ARM Ltd., Green Hills Software, and Wind River Systems. Profiling support enabled execution analysis and performance counters comparable to telemetry used in projects at NASA and analytics approaches used by teams at Google LLC. The environment supported integration with logic analyzers and protocol analyzers from vendors such as Tektronix and Rohde & Schwarz for advanced system validation.
As Xilinx's product strategy evolved, SDK was succeeded by newer tools that integrated more tightly with hardware design suites and cloud-enabled workflows, following trends set by companies such as Amazon Web Services and development platforms like Xilinx Vitis. The move mirrored transitions in the industry seen after mergers such as the AMD acquisition of Xilinx and the adoption of containerized build systems promoted by projects at Docker, Inc. and orchestration approaches used in Kubernetes deployments. Successor toolchains aimed to unify heterogeneous compute development across programmable logic and processor subsystems for customers including Siemens and hyperscale providers like Microsoft Azure.
Category:Embedded development tools