IP-XACT Standard is enhanced with vendor specific meta data

Accellera Systems Initiative (Accellera) has developed new vendor extensions for IEEE 1685-2009: IP-XACT, Standard Structure for Packaging, Integrating and Reusing IP within Tool Flows. IP-XACT is an industry-wide standard that provides a formal way to model IP and enable reuse of IP for future designs. The Accellera vendor extensions are recommended practices that do not change the IEEE 1685 standard, but enhance the functionality and flexibility of that standard to address multiple users of multiple tools. These vendor extensions are fully compatible with the IEEE IP-XACT standard and available in XML format for download under an Apache 2.0 open source license. IP-XACT describes the metadata of IP designs and flows and the interconnection of IP interfaces in a standard specification. The IP-XACT vendor extension mechanism supports user-defined extensions to IP-XACT to implement specific tool or flow features, such as to store vendor-specific IP metadata (e.g., GUI-related data). The vendor extensions published by Accellera provide recommended ways to enable cross-company IP-XACT usage in emerging areas of design such as analog/mixed-signal, physical design planning and power. "IP-XACT enabled IP is leveraged by a wide range of companies," said Karen Pieper, chair of the Accellera Technical Committee. "These vendor extensions reinforce Accellera's commitment to shape IP...