VHDL 2008: Just the New Stuff (Systems on Silicon)
VHDL-2008: Just the New Stuff, as its title says, introduces the new features added to the latest revision of the IEEE standard for the VHDL hardware description language. Written by the Chair and Technical Editor of the IEEE working group, the book is an authoritative guide to how the new features work and how to use them to improve design productivity. It will be invaluable for early adopters of the new language version, for tool implementers, and for those just curious about where VHDL is headed.
* First in the market describing the new features of VHDL 2008;
* Just the new features, so existing users and implementers can focus on what's new;
* Helps readers to learn the new features soon, rather than waiting for new editions of complete VHDL reference books.
* Authoritative, written by experts in the area;
* Tutorial style, making it more accessible than the VHDL Standard Language Reference Manual.
Why Read This Book
You should read this if you already know VHDL and want a concise, authoritative briefing on exactly what VHDL-2008 adds and how to use the features in real designs. Written by the chair/editor of the standard, it explains rationale, practical usage, and migration issues so you can adopt the new constructs with confidence.
Who Will Benefit
Experienced VHDL developers, FPGA designers, and tool implementers who need to adopt or support VHDL-2008 features quickly and correctly.
Level: Intermediate — Prerequisites: Working knowledge of VHDL (87/93/2002 variants), digital logic design, and basic FPGA synthesis/verification workflows.
Key Takeaways
- Understand the new VHDL-2008 language constructs and syntax differences from earlier versions.
- Apply protected types, extended arrays, and unconstrained array features to write clearer, more modular code.
- Use new testbench and verification conveniences (conditional expressions, enhanced text I/O, improved generics) to speed verification.
- Migrate legacy VHDL code to VHDL-2008 while avoiding common portability and tool-compatibility pitfalls.
- Assess synthesis tool support and make pragmatic choices about which new features are synthesis-friendly.
Topics Covered
- Introduction and goals of VHDL-2008
- Overview of language-wide changes and rationale
- New expression and operator forms (conditional/aggregates enhancements)
- Types, subtypes and unconstrained/extended arrays
- Records, interfaces and port-related improvements
- Protected types, shared data and concurrency improvements
- Generics, attributes, and new library/context clauses
- File I/O, textio extensions, and testbench conveniences
- Synthesis implications and recommended coding styles
- Migration strategies and examples
- Appendices: compatibility notes, examples, and reference
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
Complementary to Ashenden's fuller reference The Designer's Guide to VHDL — this book is laser-focused on what's new in VHDL-2008 rather than serving as a general tutorial; for the official normative detail consult the IEEE VHDL-2008 standard text.
