Improving Collaboration in Automotive System Design

Automotive system design processes cross multiple boundaries that impede the flow of design information. These include:

1. Corporate IP boundaries due to the multi-tiered supply chain
2. Communication boundaries due to globally distributed design centers
3. Technology specialization boundaries due to the multi-discipline nature of automotive systems

The IEEE Standard 1076.1 (VHDL-AMS) hardware description language provides important new modeling capabilities that can help automotive system designers bridge these boundaries. These capabilities include:

1. Flexible IP protection through model abstraction
2. Unambiguous language-based design description
3. Inter-disciplinary content representation

This paper provides a brief introduction to VHDL-AMS for system modeling and its many benefits for distributed design processes. When combined with a multi-language simulator, it provides the basis for effective communication and utilization of design information. The broad deployment of this modeling and simulation technology will greatly improve collaboration among automotive system designers in the 21st Century.