What is Diamond?

Diamond is a set of tools and other components that build upon standard code development tools to create efficient applications using multiprocessor hardware made from DSPs and FPGAs.

Why Use Diamond?

The first response of many people when offered Diamond is: "We do not need any extra software. Tools like Code Composer Studio (CCS) from Texas Instruments provide everything we need to write multiprocessor applications."

Is this really true? The simplistic answer is yes, but that's like saying you can program a PC in binary; you can, but is it sensible?

Multiprocessor Hardware

The structure of typical multiprocessor hardware is a good place to start. Because C6000 DSPs have extremely limited facilities for communicating with other processors, some manufacturers have decided to build modules combining DSPs with FPGAs. The FPGAs connect to the DSPs, usually over the external memory interface, and provide the high-speed interprocessor links needed to combine modules into multiprocessor systems of any complexity.

Given hardware like this, you might think that Code Composer from TI would be ideal for developing applications. Let's quietly ignore for the moment the fact that CCS knows nothing about FPGAs---you need completely different tools to develop code for them.  Instead, simply consider using CCS for the purely DSP aspects of your hardware.