SystemVerilog introduces the concept of an "interface" to facilitate communication between different hardware blocks or modules. An interface serves as a bundle of related signals, representing a communication protocol or a collection of signals with a shared purpose. Much like a struct in software programming, an interface allows the grouping of signals into a cohesive unit, promoting modularity and code reusability.
The key advantages of using interfaces include portability, reusability, and encapsulation. Once defined, an interface can be easily reused across multiple modules or testbenches, reducing redundancy and making the code more maintainable. It must also be noted that interfaces are static by nature just like a module and hence memory for it is allocated during the elaboration period of the simulation run. Interfaces also create a clear boundary between modules, improving code organization and minimizing naming conflicts.
// Filename : basic_if.sv interface basic_if ( input clk, input rst_n ); clocking basic_cb @(posedge clk); endclocking: basic_cb logic [7:0] random_input; logic [7:0] random_output; wire [7:0] random_inout; endinterface: basic_if
interface modport_if; logic clk, rst_n, data; modport master (input clk, rst_n, output data); modport slave (input clk, rst_n, input data); endinterface
interface param_if #(parameter WIDTH = 8); logic [WIDTH-1:0] data; endinterface
interface clk_if (input logic clk); clocking cb @(posedge clk); input data; output valid; endclocking endinterface
interface assign_if; logic a, b, c; assign c = a & b; // Continuous assignment endinterface
interface task_if; logic data; task set_data(input logic d); data = d; endtask endinterface