Kactus2 is a graphical Electronic Design Automation toolset for designing systems-on-chip. Its focus is on improving IP reuse and integration across hardware and software development. It works with IP-XACT descriptions and supports both the IEEE 1685-2014 and IEEE 1685-2022 standards.
Kactus2 can package existing intellectual property as reusable IP-XACT components, build hierarchical hardware designs, describe connections between components, manage memory maps, and integrate software with the underlying hardware. It is not intended for behavioural logic, synthesis, or simulation; these stages are left to specialised tools.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Supports IEEE 1685-2014 and IEEE 1685-2022 IP-XACT standards.
- Import existing IP as IP-XACT components.
- Create new reusable IP-XACT components.
- Generate HDL module headers for packaged components.
- Reuse IP-XACT files created by standards-compatible vendors.
- Connect IP blocks using wires and buses.
- Create hierarchical hardware designs containing multiple levels of sub-designs.
- Configure component instances throughout design hierarchies.
- Generate HDL wiring and parameterisation through generator plugins.
- Memory Designer provides graphical views of memory maps and address spaces.
- Supports address block and register stride visualisation.
- Package software into IP-XACT components and map software to hardware.
- Generate makefiles for building software executables from rules defined in IP-XACT components.
- Includes Verilog and VHDL generators and import facilities.
- Provides an interconnect generator for creating IP-XACT interconnect components.
- Offers a Python API for automating design tasks.
- Supports Python scripts when starting the command-line interface.
- Includes dark theme support.
- Linux tar packages are available, and the application can also be built from source.
Website: github.com/kactus2/kactus2dev
Support:
Developer: Tampere University
License: GNU General Public License v2.0
Kactus2 is written in C++. Learn C++ with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
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