This focus has accelerated within the Fourth Framework and the development and exploitation of marketable results is key to all OMI projects. For decades, design teams have had to face the realities of combining digital computing with software algorithms to deliver a system capability. The problem has been that until recently, verifying the interaction between the two has required the building of actual prototype hardware. While this has always been a painful exercise at best, it has generally sufficed-until now. The trends of the '90s have both exacerbated the problem and opened up new potential solutions.
Semiconductor processes now permit entire systems to fit on a single chip.
Most of the processing of 'real world' data - audio, video and sensors has migrated to the digital realm. The 'system on a chip' phenomenon is now adding to the momentum, as co-design turns from merely a good idea into an economic necessity. And the prediction for the future points to greater embedded software content in hardware systems than ever before. Tiny operating system software to manage the performance of the embedded application, as well as techniques to standardise the development process, which in turn leads to improved productivity. For example, one project has evolved an holistic approach to the microelectronics systems development cycle, providing a complete environment from requirements analysis through design, development and testing to run-time.