Hardware Emulation and Hardware Flows - 2024.2 English

AI Engine Kernel and Graph Programming Guide (UG1079)

Document ID
UG1079
Release Date
2024-11-28
Version
2024.2 English

input_gmio/output_gmio is not only used with the AI Engine simulator, but can also work in hardware emulation and hardware flows. To allow it to work in hardware emulation and hardware flows, add the following code to graph.cpp.

#if !defined(__AIESIM__) && !defined(__X86SIM__)
    #include "adf/adf_api/XRTConfig.h"
    #include "experimental/xrt_kernel.h"
    // Create XRT device handle for ADF API
    
    char* xclbinFilename = argv[1];
    auto dhdl = xrtDeviceOpen(0);//device index=0
    xrtDeviceLoadXclbinFile(dhdl,xclbinFilename);
    xuid_t uuid;
    xrtDeviceGetXclbinUUID(dhdl, uuid);
       
    adf::registerXRT(dhdl, uuid);
#endif

Using the guard macro __AIESIM__ and __X86SIM__ , the same version of graph.cpp can work for the AI Engine simulator, x86simulator, hardware emulation, and hardware flows. Note that the preceding code should be placed before calling the graph or the GMIO ADF APIs. At the end of the program, close the device using the xrtDeviceClose() API.

#if !defined(__AIESIM__) && !defined(__X86SIM__)
    xrtDeviceClose(dhdl);
#endif

To compile the code for hardware flow, see Programming the PS Host Application in AI Engine Tools and Flows User Guide (UG1076).

While it is recommended to use ADF APIs to control the GMIO, it is possible to use XRT. However, only synchronous mode GMIO transactions are supported. The API to perform synchronous transferring data can be found in experimental/xrt_aie.h:

/**
 * xrtAIESyncBO() - Transfer data between DDR and Shim DMA channel
 *
 * @handle:          Handle to the device
 * @bohdl:           BO handle.
 * @gmioName:        GMIO name
 * @dir:             GM to AIE or AIE to GM
 * @size:            Size of data to synchronize
 * @offset:          Offset within the BO
 *
 * Return:          0 on success, or appropriate error number.
 *
 * Synchronize the buffer contents between GMIO and AIE.
 * Note: Upon return, the synchronization is done or error out
 */
int
xrtAIESyncBO(xrtDeviceHandle handle, xrtBufferHandle bohdl, const char *gmioName, enum xclBOSyncDirection dir, size_t size, size_t offset);