This normally 2-day class will delivered in 4 half-day sessions online.   

This course provides a thorough introduction to the Vivado® High-Level Synthesis (HLS) tool.

The focus is on:

• Covering synthesis strategies and features
• Improving throughput, area, interface creation, latency, testbench coding, and coding tips
• Utilizing the Vivado HLS tool to optimize code for high-speed performance in an embedded environment
• Downloading for in-circuit validation

What's New for 2020.1

• Introduction to High-Level Synthesis: New content on the Vitis™ HLS tool
• Introduction to HLS UltraFast Design Methodology: New content on RTL verification, IP packaging, and design analysis
• All labs have been updated to support the Zynq® UltraScale+™ ZCU104 board

 
* This course focuses on the Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC architecture. Check with your local Authorized Training Provider for the specifics of the in-class lab board or other customizations.

After completing this comprehensive training, you will have the necessary skills to:

• Enhance productivity using the Vivado HLS tool
• Describe the high-level synthesis flow
• Use the Vivado HLS tool for a first project
• Identify the importance of the test bench
• Use directives to improve performance and area and select RTL interfaces
• Identify common coding pitfalls as well as methods for improving code for RTL/hardware
• Perform system-level integration of IP generated by the Vivado HLS tool
• Describe how to use OpenCV functions in the Vivado HLS tool

Course Outline

Day 1

• Introduction to High-Level Synthesis

Overview of the High-level Synthesis (HLS), Vivado HLS tool flow, and the verification advantage. {Lecture}

• Vivado HLS Tool Flow

Explore the basics of high-level synthesis and the Vivado HLS tool. {Lecture, Demo, Lab}

• Design Exploration with Directives

Explore different optimization techniques that can improve the design performance. {Lecture}

• Vivado HLS Tool Command Line Interface

Describes the Vivado HLS tool flow in command prompt mode. {Lecture, Lab}

• Introduction to HLS UltraFast Design Methodology

Introduces the methodology guidelines covered in this course and the HLS UltraFast Design Methodology steps. {Lecture}

• Introduction to I/O Interfaces

Explains interfaces such as block-level and port-level protocols abstracted by the Vivado HLS tool from the C design. {Lecture}

• Block-Level I/O Protocols

Explains the different types of block-level protocols abstracted by the Vivado HLS tool. {Lecture, Lab}

• Port-Level I/O Protocols

Describes the port-level interface protocols abstracted by the Vivado HLS tool from the C design. {Lecture, Demo, Lab}

• Port-Level I/O Protocols: AXI4 Interfaces

Explains the different AXI interfaces (such as AXI4-Master, AXI4-Lite (Slave), and AXI4-Stream) supported by the Vivado HLS tool. {Lecture, Demo}

• Port-Level I/O Protocols: Memory Interfaces

Describes the memory interface port-level protocols (such as block RAM, FIFO) abstracted by the Vivado HLS tool from the C design. {Lecture, Lab}

• Port-Level I/O Protocols: Bus Protocol

Explains the bus protocol supported by the Vivado HLS tool. {Lecture}

• Pipeline for Performance: PIPELINE

Describes the PIPELINE directive for improving the throughput of a design. {Lecture, Demo, Lab}

Day 2

• Pipeline for Performance: DATAFLOW

Describes the DATAFLOW directive for improving the throughput of a design by pipelining the functions to execute as soon as possible. {Lecture, Lab}

• Optimizing Structures for Performance

Learn the performance limitations caused by arrays in your design. You will also learn some optimization techniques to handle arrays for improving performance. {Lecture, Demo, Lab}

• Data Pack and Data Dependencies

Learn how to use DATA_PACK and DEPENDENCE directives to overcome the limitations caused by structures and loops in the design. {Lecture}

• Vivado HLS Tool Default Behavior: Latency

Describes the default behavior of the Vivado HLS tool on latency and throughput. {Lecture}

• Reducing Latency

Describes how to optimize the C design to improve latency. {Lecture}

• Improving Area and Resource Utilization

Describes different methods for improving resource utilization and explains how some of the directives have impact on the area utilization. {Lecture, Lab}

• HLx Design Flow – System Integration

Describes the traditional RTL flow versus the Vivado HLx design flow. {Lecture, Lab}

• Vivado HLS Tool C Libraries: Arbitrary Precision

Describes the Vivado HLS tool support for the C/C++ languages, as well as arbitrary precision data types. {Lecture, Lab}

• Hardware Modeling

Explains hardware modeling with streaming data types and shift register implementation using the ap_shift_reg class. {Lecture}

• Using Pointers in the Vivado HLS Tool

Explains the use of pointers in the design and workarounds for some of the limitations. {Lecture}