Celebrating the Approval of Portable Test and Stimulus Standard (PSS) 3.0
Accellera Systems Initiative has recently announced the approval of the Portable Test and Stimulus Standard (PSS) 3.0, marking a significant milestone in verification of electronic systems. My colleague, Tom Fitzpatrick, wrote a nice blog a few weeks before the announcement highlighting his video presentation on how PSS and Verification IP fit together like a hand in a glove at DAC. All this points to the standard is set to revolutionize the way system-level design and verification engineers approach their work, offering a host of new features and enhancements designed to boost productivity and efficiency.
The Value of PSS 3.0
Unified Representation: PSS 3.0 allows for the creation of a single representation of stimulus and test scenarios that can be used across various platforms, including simulation, emulation, FPGA prototyping, and post-silicon testing. This unified approach ensures consistent behavior and simplifies the verification process.
Behavioral Coverage: One of the standout features of PSS 3.0 is its support for behavioral coverage. This allows engineers to generate multiple scenarios from a single PSS specification, varying in action order and data, to ensure comprehensive testing and verification.
Enhanced Features: The new version includes support for a sub-string operator along with string methods, reference type collection, platform qualifiers on function prototype declarations, clarified static const semantics, comments in template blocks, cooperative multitasking, address space group, PSS-SystemVerilog mapping, and a formal semantics of behavioral coverage in the standard’s annex. These enhancements make PSS 3.0 more versatile and powerful than ever before.
Declarative Environment: PSS 3.0 offers a declarative environment for abstract behavioral descriptions using actions, inputs, outputs, and resource dependencies. This facilitates the generation of diverse implementations of scenarios, making it easier to specify intent once and observe consistent behavior across multiple implementations.
Learn From the DVCon U.S. 2024 Tutorial
The Accellera PSS Working Group knows this can be a lot of information to take in and they have an obligation to help you take the first steps to learn the details of this maturing standard. I realize much of this may be new to you or you are not yet acquainted with the novel PSS features.
To gain a deeper understanding of PSS 3.0 and its applications, I encourage you to watch Accellera’s DVCon U.S. 2024 tutorial titled “Efficient Portable Programming-Sequence Development with PSS.” The tutorial is delivered by the expert members of the PSS Working Group. The whole tutorial is about 3 hours in length. It is divided into seven parts, each offering valuable insights into different aspects of PSS to make it easier for you to consume.
- Agenda: Tom Fitzpatrick from Siemens EDA introduces the tutorial and outlines the key topics to be covered. [2 minutes | View here]
- PSS Motivation: Adnan Hamid from Breker explains the motivation behind the development of PSS and its importance in modern verification. [18 minutes | View here]
- What Is PSS?: Tom Fitzpatrick provides an overview of PSS, its features, and the benefits it offers to verification engineers. [31 minutes | View here]
- Developing Reusable Test Content at the Block Level: Matthew Ballance from AMD discusses strategies for creating reusable test content at the block level using PSS. [39 minutes | View here]
- Sub-system and SoC–level Testing with PSS: Sergey Khaikin from Cadence explores the application of PSS in sub-system and SoC-level testing, highlighting its advantages. [32 minutes | View here]
- Post-silicon Testing with PSS: Prabhat Gupta from AMD delves into the use of PSS for post-silicon testing, emphasizing its role in ensuring comprehensive verification. [26 minutes | View here]
- Wrapping Up: Tom Fitzpatrick concludes the tutorial with a summary of key points and a Q&A session to address any remaining questions. [19 minutes | View here]
By watching this tutorial, you will gain valuable insights into how PSS 3.0 can enhance your verification processes and improve overall productivity. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from industry experts and stay ahead in the ever-evolving field of electronic design automation. The PSS 3.0 Language Reference Manual is available from Accellera for download here and is a good companion to the video.
The PSS Working Group continues to evolve the standard. To keep current with progress on PSS, visit the Accellera Systems Initiative website. You can also join the conversation on social media using #AccelleraPSS and share your thoughts or connect with the Accellera PSS Community and join the conversation here.
