INCA: a next-generation architecture for simulation

The paper presents INCA, the Interleaved Native-Compiled code Architecture for simulation. INCA is a flexible strategy to create optimized simulations involving multiple design styles, languages, and scheduling paradigms. INCA emphasizes optimized compilers for HDLs vs. more traditional kernel-based approaches. The critical aspects of the architecture include: the separation of kernel and language, usage of elaboration to construct optimal simulation executables, method-based network evaluation, and techniques for mixing different scheduling approaches.