Don’t know if posted before
ARM adds AI, virtual hardware support to Keil MDK 6
New Products | March 13, 2023
By Nick Flaherty
ARM is to launch Keil MDK6 with support for the M55 and M85 Cortex cores, AI accelerators and virtual hardware.
www.eenewseurope.com
ARM is to launch the latest version of its premium microcontroller development kit (MDK), adding support for the latest Cortex-M55 and M85 high performance microcontroller cores and Ethos-U microNPU machine learning cores as well as virtual hardware.
The Cortex-M processor family has over 9,500 different microcontrollers from 38 different silicon vendors available today, and the demand for more machine learning (ML) capabilities in IoT applications is growing exponentially. The focus on supporting embedded AI aims to counteract the success of the competing RISC-V core in this area, and the development tools are a key factor for this.
As IoT devices get smarter, developers are facing increasing software complexity that requires new development flows that create optimized ML models combined with efficient device drivers. It is therefore crucial that the software development platforms and tools we are providing to the ecosystem are evolving alongside our processor roadmap.
The Keil Microcontroller Development Kit (Keil MDK) is the most comprehensive software development solution for Arm Cortex-M-based embedded, IoT, and ML edge device applications, and today I am excited to share that we are releasing
Keil MDK Version 6 includes Keil Studio Desktop, an extension pack for Microsoft Visual Studio Code (VS Code) provides an integrated development environment (IDE) for Cortex-M-based microcontrollers.
With full support of CMSIS workflows and an integrated debugger, it includes components to create, build, and test embedded applications on Windows, Linux, and macOS host computers. VS Code integrates with Git version control and offers a rich set of third-party extensions. This makes MDK Version 6 a flexible and extensible development platform for any embedded IoT or ML project.
CMSIS-based development flows with the CMSIS-Toolbox is a critical element of Keil MDK Version 6. It starts with a device or board selection that configures the complete toolchain including debug, and gives access to reusable software components including various RTOS kernels, device drivers, and middleware. CMSIS also provides compute and machine learning libraries that are optimized for the entire Cortex-M processor portfolio. The new CMSIS-View component implements event-based software verification including execution-time analysis which is also used to determine the best matching ML models for the application.
Enhanced integration of Arm Virtual Hardware (AVH) removes the need to develop on physical silicon, virtualizing a complete SoC subsystem based on Arm processors, enables test automation of software workloads with precise Cortex-M simulation models.
The Keil MDK integration supports test case development and verification on desktop systems. Combining desktop and cloud-based workflows allows developers to embrace CI/CD, DevOps, and MLOps core concepts and a software first development approach. AVH is available in multiple deployments such as GitHub, Qeexo AutoML, Keil Studio Cloud, and AWS AMI for flexible cloud access.
Along with newly introduced host support for Windows, Linux, and macOS, MDK Version 6 continues to include the µVision IDE for Windows and features for functional safety. Embedded systems frequently require several years of product longevity and MDK supports the entire product lifecycle from initiation to completion and maintenance. Keil Studio Cloud continues to complement the MDK desktop tools with a ready-to-use cloud-native development environment that requires no installation.
A preview of Keil MDK Version 6 is at Embedded World (EW2023) this week and the MDK naturally has support from across the industry including chip maker STMicroelectronics and cloud and RTOS provider Microsoft.
“Millions of developers and companies around the world rely on GitHub for software development, and coding standards compliance (e.g. AUTOSAR, CERT, & MISRA) across a range of applications. Combining Keil MDK, ARM Virtual Hardware, and GitHub CodeQL with GitHub Actions gives an efficient and lean CI/CD workflow for faster development of reliable embedded systems,” said Clay Nelson, Vice President of Sales, GitHub.
“Arm and Microsoft have a long-standing partnership on many fronts. We are excited that the Keil MDK extensions are available to millions of developers using Visual Studio Code. With the extensive CMSIS ecosystem and ARM Virtual Hardware support in GitHub Actions, this solution is ideal for embedded developers,” said Amanda Silver, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft.
“Qeexo AutoML is designed to make machine learning accessible to a wider range of users, including businesses, researchers, and developers who may not have deep knowledge of ML,” said Michael Gamble, Director Product Management, TDK Qeexo.
“Based on sensor data, Qeexo AutoML automatically builds machine learning solutions that are optimized for Arm processors and is used in building a wide variety of applications including: industrial, mobile, home IoT, medical, and automotive. Combined with Keil MDK and ARM Virtual Hardware, the complete end-to-end ML workflow for embedded developers is now easier than ever,”
“ST is committed to innovation and development accelerators that support our broad STM32 product portfolio, rich ecosystem, and application-support infrastructure. Keil MDK version 6 with its flexibility and wide set of extensions is an important development platform for our user base and the new enhancements will be valuable to the entire community,” said Daniel Colonna, Marketing Director Microcontrollers, STMicroelectronics.
www.arm.com
Their new Quick-Connect Studio looks impressive. 
