Synopsys, Inc. announced availability of the DesignWare ARC HS4x/4xD Development Kit to accelerate software development for the ARC HS4x/4xD family of high-performance processor IP. The ARC HS4x/4xD Development Kit is a ready-to-use software development platform with support for the Linux kernel and access to the embARC open-source software packages on the embARC website, enabling designers to start software development prior to SoC availability. The ARC HS4x/4xD Development Kit includes a multicore ARC HS4x/HS4xD-based chip implemented in a 28-nm process, and integrates a wide range of interfaces including Ethernet, HDMI, USB, SDIO, I2C, SPI, UART, and GPIO, as well as a low-power GPU. The kit also features an on-board WiFi (802.11abgn) and Bluetooth (BT4.0) module. This combination of ARC HS4x/4xD processors and the comprehensive set of peripherals allow developers to build and debug complex software on a fully-featured hardware platform. The ARC HS4x/4xD Development Kit is configurable to support single and dual-core HS45D and HS47D processors and up to quad-core ARC HS48 processors, giving developers the flexibility to use a single development board for multiple ARC HS processor configurations. The kit offers an ARC HS4x processor running at 1 GHz and includes 4 GB of DDR memory to run full software loads. With the Development Kit's support for the Linux kernel, Yocto, and Buildroot systems, developers can immediately begin Linux application development. For bare-metal and RTOS-based development, the freely available embARC Open Software Platform (OSP) provides drivers, FreeRTOS and middleware for embedded and IoT application development. All software for the ARC HS4x/4xD Development Kit is available on the embARC website, a comprehensive resource for embedded developers that provides a single point of access to free and open source software (FOSS) and tools to accelerate the development of embedded applications for ARC Processors. The ARC HS4x/4xD Development Kit is supported by Synopsys' ARC MetaWare Development Toolkit, enabling the development and debugging of highly optimized, high-density code. The GNU Toolchain for ARC also supports the ARC HS4x/4xD family of processors. A HapsTrak connector, enabling designers to easily connect the ARC HS4x/4xD Development Kit to Synopsys' HAPS® FPGA-based prototyping system, extends the platform so that it can be used for prototyping of new IP and associated driver development. The ARC HS4x/4xD Development Kit is also extensible through the available Digilent Pmod, mikroBUS, and Arduino connectors. The ARC HS4x/4xD Development Kit will be available in first quarter of 2020.