Co-simulation with GHDL

This repository contains documentation and working examples about how to co-simulate VHDL and other languages through GHDL’s foreign interfaces. Since specific features of the language and the tool are used, it is suggested for users who are new to either GHDL or VHDL to first read the Quick Start Guide in the main documentation (ghdl.rtfd.io).

Three main approaches are used to co-simulate (co-execute) VHDL sources along with software applications written in a language other than VHDL (typically C/C++/SystemC):

  • Verilog Procedural Interface (VPI), also known as Program Language Interface (PLI) 2.0.
  • VHDL Procedural Interface (VHPI), or specific implementations, such as Foreign Language Interface (FLI).
  • Generation of C/C++ models/sources through a transpiler.

VPI and VHPI are complex APIs which allow to inspect the hierarchy, set callbacks and/or assign signals. Because provided features are similar, GHDL supports VPI only. Furthermore, as an easier to use alternative, GHDL features a custom coexecution procedure named VHPIDIRECT, similar to SystemVerilog’s Direct Programming Interface (DPI). As of today, generation of C++/SystemC models à la Verilator is not supported. However, a vhdlator/ghdlator might be available in the future.

Interfacing with foreign languages through VHPIDIRECT is possible on any platform. You can define a subprogram in a foreign language (such as C or Ada) and import it into a VHDL design.

Note

GHDL supports different backends, and not all of them generate binary artifacts. Precisely, mcode is an in-memory backend. Hence, the examples need to be built/executed with either LLVM or GCC backends. A few of them, the ones that do not require linking object files, can be used with mcode.

Attention

As a consequence of the runtime copyright, you are not allowed to distribute an executable produced by GHDL without allowing access to the VHDL sources. See Copyrights | Licenses.

Tip

See ghdl#1053 for on-going work with regard to VHPIDIRECT.

VPI

See VPI build commands.

TBC