PL Application Creation - 2024.1 English - XD100

Step 1: Modify the Graph for Use in Hardware Build

You now have a working application to run on the AI Engine array. What you need now is to modify the AI Engine graph for use in hardware, and connect the AI Engine array to the PL using the Vitis compiler (V++).

The main function in project.cpp will not be used in the hardware run, so you need to add a switch (#if defined(...)) so that main will not be taken into account for the hardware build.

#if defined(__AIESIM__) || defined(__X86SIM__) || defined(__ADF_FRONTEND__)

int main(void) {
  mygraph.init();
  mygraph.run(4);
  mygraph.end();
  return 0;
}
#endif

Step 2: Add PL Kernels

In this example, HLS kernels are used which bridge between memory and the AXI4-Stream interface to input and output data from memory.

• The mm2s kernel reads data from memory and inputs it to the AI Engine array.

• The s2mm kernel receives output data from the AI Engine array and writes it to memory.

1. In the Vitis Unified IDE click File > New Component > HLS

2. Name the first component mm2s and click Next.

3. In the Configuration File page, keep the default settings (Empty File) and click Next

4. In the Add Source Files page, add the file mm2s.cpp from the src folder

   

5. In the same page, set the mm2s function as the top function (click Browse and select mm2s)

   

   

6. In the Select Platform Page:

• If you have created the platform following step 1, select the base_pfm_vck190 platform you just created.

• If you have skipped step 1, select the VCK190 base platform (xilinx_vck190_base_002320_1) which is part of the Vitis installation.

Click Next

1. In the Edit Settings page select Vitis Kernel Flow Target under flow_target and Generate a Vitis XO under package.output_format and click Next

   

2. Click Finish

3. Repeat steps 1 to 8 to create another HLS component called s2mm with the s2mm.cpp source file

Step 3: Configure the Hardware Linking Project

Now that you have imported the kernels, you need to tell the Vitis linker how to connect everything together.

1. Create a new System Project component by clicking File > New Component > System Project

2. Call this system component simple_aie_application_system_project and click Next

3. In the Select Platform Page:

• If you have created the platform following step 1, select the base_pfm_vck190 platform you just created.

• If you have skipped step 1, select the VCK190 base platform (xilinx_vck190_base_002320_1) which is part of the Vitis installation.

1. Skip the Embedded Component Paths page (click Next). This page is used for system running Linux. Our system will be Baremetal.

2. Click Finish

3. Open the settings file called vitis-sys.json under simple_aie_application_system_project > Settings and click on Add Existing Components in the Components section at the bottom of the file. Click HLS and select the mm2s and s2mm components.

   

4. Click again on Add Existing Components in the Components section at the bottom of the file. Click AI Engine and select the simple_aie_application* components.

5. Now you need to tell the Vitis compiler about the connectivity of the system. This step is done using a configuration file. Still in the settings file vitis-sys.json, under Hardware Link Settings expend binary_container_1 and click on hw_link/binary_container_1-link.cfg

   

In binary_container_1-link.cfg change the view to Source editor and add the following lines under [connectivity]

  ```
  stream_connect=mm2s_1.s:ai_engine_0.mygraph_in
  stream_connect=ai_engine_0.mygraph_out:s2mm_1.s
  ```

Note that as per the Vitis Unified Software Platform Documentation: Application Acceleration Development (UG1393), the naming convention for the compute units (or kernel instances) are <kernel>_#, where # indicates the CU instance. Thus, the CU names built corresponding to the kernels mm2s and s2mm in your project are respectively mm2s_1 and s2mm_1. The stream_connect option is defined as <compute_unit_name>.<kernel_interface_name>:<compute_unit_name>.<kernel_interface_name>. For example, to connect the AXI4-Stream interface of the mm2s_1 (compute unit name) called s (kernel interface name) to the mygraph_in (interface name) input of the graph in the ai_engine_0 (compute unit name) IP you need the following option: stream_connect=mm2s_1.s:ai_engine_0.mygraph_in.

1. In the binary_container_1-link.cfg page, change back the view to Settings Forms and enable Export hardware (XSA).

   

Step 4. Build the System

1. In the flow navigator, make sure simple_aie_application_system_project is selected and click on Build Binary Container under HARDWARE > LINK - binary_container_1. Click OK when asked to build the HLS components (mm2s and s2mm) The compilation process takes some time to finish. The underlying AI Engine application project, hardware kernel project, and hardware linking project are compiled one after another. The system should build successfully with no error.

   

2. You can open the generated the AMD Vivado™ project in <workspace>/simple_aie_application_system_project/build/hw/hw_link/binary_container_1/binary_container_1/vivado/vpl/prj/prj.xpr to take a look at the compilation result. You can see that the Vitis compiler added the two HLS IP (mm2s and s2mm) and connected them to the memory (NOC) and AI Engine IP.

   

   

Note: Creation of thr PL can be automated by running “make pl_app”

In the next step, you will create a processing system (PS) bare-metal application, and run the system with it.

Go to PS Application and Run

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