Embedded system designers are constantly looking for new tools and techniques to help satisfy the exploding demand for consumer information appliances and specialized industrial products. One critical barrier to the timely release of embedded system products is integrating the design of the hardware and software systems. Hardware/software co-design is a set of methodologies and techniques specifically created to support the concurrent design of both systems, effectively reducing multiple iterations and major redesigns. In addition to its critical role in the development of embedded systems, many experts believe that co-design will be a key design methodology for Systems-on-a-Chip.