The course covers the development of systems where parts can be implemented in either hardware or software. The course emphasize a technical and theoretical correspondence between development of hardware and software, and introduces the fundamental techniques of codesign.

Passing the course will enable participants to describe the most essential components in a computer as well as the relation between the components. They will be able to describe and use selected programs to assist software development. They will understand and use the field’s terminology in technical reports. They will be able to design small digital systems and make reasonable predictions about their properties, especially with respect to speed, size, and energy consumption. They will be able to develop and document both programs and routine libraries bridging the gap between machine specific details and programs written in traditional programming languages.

• identify software and hardware components of embedded systems
• identify and describe functioning of the execution platform, including general purpose processor, application specific instruction set processor, dedicated hardware, and operating system and middleware
• use a software program as an executional specification
• develop a software program for an embedded processor
• analyse correctness and performance of a software program
• design a hardware architecture using a hardware description language (HDL)
• analyse correctness and performance of a hardware architecture
• propose a hardware architecture by seperating software or executional specification into control and dataflow
• compare and contrast software and hardwre implementations of an executional specification
• propose and argue a software/hardware architecture from an executional specification (codesign)
• use a tool chain of embedded systems design
• write a technical report which documents results and analysis in a precise and clear form

The structure of general processors, including the datapath, the control unit and
the memory elements. Design and construction of specialised processors, including
combinatorial and sequential logic, state machines, and composition of complex
components by use of busses.

Programming at a machine specific level; tools for program
development; compilation and interpretation; test and verification; computers as layered systems; a user's and a program's interface to an operating system;
elementary multiprogramming.

A compendium will be available at the start of the course.

The course is partially taught in english

Please contact the teacher for information on whether this course gives the student the opportunity to prepare a project that may participate in DTU´s Study Conference on sustainability, climate technology, and the environment (GRØN DYST). More information http://www.groendyst.dtu.dk/kursustilmelding.aspx