How Virtual Prototypes Reduce Risk in a High-Stakes Game

Tom De Schutter, Product Marketing Manager, Synopsys, Inc.

Introduction

The culture-shifting rise of mobile devices in the last decade has impacted everything except the embedded software development process. Intelligent, smart-connected mobile devices1 have not only eclipsed yesterday’s desktops in popularity but now exceed them in raw computing power. One company that ruled the technology market in 2000 has seen its stock plunge 75%, dragged down by “having an aging PC business hanging like an albatross around its neck.”2 The global smartphone business, by contrast, is expected to grow from US $69.8 billion in 2010 to US $150.3 billion by 2014.3

Thanks to the proliferation of smartphones, tablets