Case Studies
Shift-Left PCI Express Device Modeling
Key Results
- 20+ PCI Express Device Models Delivered
- 2–4 Years Pre-Silicon Software Enablement
- Level 2/3 Ecosystem Support Without Prototypes
About the project
A global silicon vendor engaged our team to develop behaviorally accurate PCI Express device models within a full-system hardware simulation environment. The platform was used by internal engineering teams and ecosystem partners to validate firmware, operating systems, and hypervisors before physical silicon was available.
The project focused on modeling complex PCI Express peripherals and interconnect behavior, including high-throughput networking devices, storage controllers, non-transparent bridges, and virtualization-capable configurations. The models were required to reproduce real hardware behavior closely enough to support software bring-up, configuration validation, and system integration workflows.
Our team was responsible for device modeling, transaction-level behavior implementation, integration into the simulation platform, and providing Level 2 and Level 3 support to end customers operating without hardware prototypes. The resulting models enabled early software validation and reduced dependency on physical development boards during critical stages of the silicon lifecycle.
6+
engineers
3+
years
T&M
delivery model
Client challenges
The client needed behaviorally accurate PCI Express device models capable of supporting full-system software validation before hardware availability. These models functioned as pre-silicon digital representations of real devices and were required to expose configuration errors, interrupt routing issues, memory-mapping conflicts, and transaction-level edge cases typically discovered only on physical silicon.
The platform served a broad ecosystem of downstream customers, many integrating custom hardware configurations and proprietary device combinations. The virtual environment had to remain stable across heterogeneous use cases while accurately reflecting complex topologies such as multi-function devices and non-transparent bridges. Deterministic execution was critical to reproduce failures consistently across firmware, kernel, and driver layers.
In addition, the client’s engineering organization relied on the simulation platform for Level 2 and Level 3 support in the absence of hardware prototypes. Escalations from external customers could not be deferred to lab validation; issues had to be diagnosed and resolved entirely within the virtual system.
Tasks performed
- Designed transaction-level PCI Express device models implementing configuration space, BAR mapping, DMA flows, interrupts, and power-state transitions
- Implemented multi-function and virtualization-capable device behavior supporting virtualized resource partitioning and isolated access workflows
- Modeled non-transparent bridge topologies to enable multi-domain system configurations and cross-root communication scenarios
- Developed high-throughput network-class device simulations reproducing queue management, packet flow control, and bandwidth-sensitive behavior
- Integrated address translation and device isolation logic to support hypervisor-level memory protection and secure device access validation
- Ensured deterministic execution across firmware and kernel layers enabling reproducible debugging of driver initialization and enumeration flows
- Validated PCI Express link training and enumeration sequences to match expected real-hardware bring-up behavior
- Maintained backward compatibility across evolving silicon revisions while extending feature coverage
- Provided Level 2 and Level 3 technical support diagnosing customer issues entirely within the simulation environment
Project results
20+ Device Models
Delivered more than twenty PCI Express device models by implementing transaction-level behavior, configuration space logic, DMA flows, and interrupt handling aligned with hardware specifications.
2–4 Year Shift-Left Window
Enabled firmware, operating system, and hypervisor validation up to four years before silicon availability by integrating models into full-system simulation workflows.
Level 2/3 Hardware-Free Support
esolved downstream customer escalations without physical boards by reproducing failures deterministically inside the simulation environment.
40 Gbit Network Devices
Simulated high-throughput network-class controller behavior, supporting bandwidth-sensitive validation scenarios in full-system configurations.
CXL-Class Interconnect Support
Extended device modeling to support emerging memory and accelerator interconnect behaviors within heterogeneous compute configurations.
Virtualization Workflows Enabled
Implemented multi-function device logic and address translation flows to support isolated device access within hypervisor-controlled environments.
Deterministic System Reproduction
Ensured repeatable execution across firmware and kernel layers, allowing consistent debugging of enumeration, interrupt routing, and memory-mapping issues.
Value we bring
Shift-Left Software Enablement
We implement behaviorally accurate system models that allow firmware, drivers, and operating systems to be developed and debugged before finalized hardware is available. By reproducing configuration space, transaction flows, interrupt routing, and memory behavior at hardware fidelity, we enable true shift-left development across the software stack.
Architectural Ownership Across Layers
We take responsibility for system behavior across firmware, drivers, operating systems, and platform integration rather than treating them as isolated components. Our engineers understand how low-level device behavior propagates through the software stack and ensure consistency across configuration logic, memory access patterns, interrupt routing, and virtualization boundaries.
Engineering for Downstream Ecosystems
We design and maintain systems that are used not only internally but by external integrators building custom configurations and product variants. This requires stable interfaces, predictable behavior across heterogeneous use cases, and the ability to reproduce and resolve issues without direct access to physical deployments.
Technologies
- C++
- PCI Express
- Compute Express Link
- SR-IOV
- VT-d
- Linux
- Python
- Git
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