In the last decade, instruction-set simulators have become an essential development tool for
the design of new programmable architectures. Consequently, the simulator performance is
a key factor for the overall design efficiency. Based on the extremely poor performance of
commonly used interpretive simulators, research work on fast compiled instruction-set
simulation was started ten years ago. However, due to the restrictiveness of the compiled
technique, it has not been able to push through in commercial products. This paper presents …

Today, designers of next-generation embedded processors and software are increasingly
faced with short product lifetimes. The resulting time-to-market constraints are contradicting
the continually growing processor complexity. Nevertheless, an extensive design-space
exploration and product verification is indispensable for a successful market launch. In the
last decade, instruction-set simulators have become an essential development tool for the
design of new programmable architectures. Consequently, the simulator performance is a …