Simulating and Debugging the AI Engine Component - Simulating and Debugging the AI Engine Component - 2026.1 English - UG1702

Vitis Reference Guide (UG1702)
Document ID
UG1702
Release Date
2026-06-23
Version
2026.1 English

In the Flow Navigator, after building the AI Engine, you can run or debug the component under the X86 simulation. You can also run or debug the AI Engine Simulator/Hardware build targets (see below).

Figure 1. Debug AI Engine
Tip: If the Flow Navigator lists multiple components in the drop-down, you must select the AI Engine component.

Click Open Settings to open a launch configuration for running or debugging the AI Engine component. This button only appears when hovering above Run or Debug in Flow Navigator. Clicking Open Settings opens the launch.json containing the different launch configurations for the component. You can also click Run or Debug without opening the launch.json file by using the default launch configuration.

Launch configurations are shown in the launch.json image below:

  • aie_component_x86: Supports running or debugging the x86 Simulation build
  • aie_component_aiesim: Supports running or debugging the AI Engine Simulator/Hardware build. This is the launch configuration currently selected and displayed
Tip: You can create new launch configurations by clicking the Duplicate command next to an existing launch configuration. Delete existing configurations by clicking Delete.
Figure 2. AI Engine Launch Configuration

The image above displays the details of the currently selected launch configuration with the following options.

  • Launch config name: Specifies the name. Select the Edit command to change the name.
  • Target: Specifies the name of the build target used by the launch configuration. You cannot change the target.
  • Enable Pipeline View: Generates the Pipeline view of the AI Engine array during run or debug.
  • Package directory: Specifies the directory to use when packaging the AI Engine component. The default directory is the ./Work directory.
  • Input directory: Specifies the location of any input data that the component uses during run or debug.
  • Additional arguments: Specifies any additional command line arguments the AI Engine component uses during run or debug.
  • Trace Options: Enables trace capture during run or debug, and specifies options for trace. Refer to Enabling Trace in AI Engine Based Simulation for additional information.
  • Profile Options: Enables profiling during run or debug, and specifies options for profile. Refer to Enabling AI Engine Profile for details on the options.

After setting up the launch configuration, you can launch run or debug by selecting the Run or Debug commands in the launch.json, or by selecting Run or Debug from the Flow Navigator. Specify a launch configuration if more than one is available for the build target.

Tip: If there are unsaved changes to the launch configuration, Vitis prompts you to save prior to running.

During the run process, you can see the output of x86simulator or aiesimulator on the console. You can review the transcript in real time, or refer to the log file. You can open the log file for the simulator by navigating to the component Output/hw or Output/x86sim folders in the Component Explorer view.

During the debug process, the tool opens the Debug view. See Debugging an AI Engine Component.

After successfully running or debugging the AI Engine component, the Flow Navigator displays a series of reports for the process. For details about the available reports, see Working with the Analysis View (Vitis Analyzer).