An XML format based integration infrastructure for IP based design

IP based design comprises two main steps. First, a suitable IP has to be found. Second, the IP has to undergo further processing before it can be included in existing designs. Since IP providers use different formats and design tools require different parts of the IP for their services it is hard to find an IP format that satisfies and is exchangeable between all parties. This paper presents such a unified format. It can be used to search for, deliver and exchange IPs between the designer and external IP service providers. A tool chain based on the format was implemented and evaluated. The results prove its applicability.