Análisis comparativo entre SystemVerilog y Python para la verificación de sistemas digitales

Abstract

Digital systems have become increasingly complex over the years. It is essential to test these designs in a pre-silicon verification environment before sending them to fabrication. Skipping this stage risks costly respins and critical errors that can delay production and inflate budgets. The most widely used methodology for this purpose is the Universal Verification Methodology (UVM). This SystemVerilog library set provides a reusable, scalable framework enabling silicon design and verification teams to test their designs quickly and effectively. Despite its widespread use, this library can be hard to understand and master. Recently, a Python-based alternative has emerged. Cocotb and PyUVM are library sets that promise to boost verification engineer productivity by leveraging the full power of Python and its vast ecosystem of tools and packages. These frameworks offer a familiar syntax and a gentler learning curve than SystemVerilog for those already comfortable with software development. This document aims to conduct a comparative analysis between SystemVerilog and Python’s verification libraries, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of both frameworks across key dimensions such as learning curve, simulation capabilities, simulation time, performance, and ease of implementation. To accomplish this, a set of verification environments will be developed for an industrial application in both languages.