Datasheet

Hardware Definition Language (HDL), specifically Verilog or VHDL. For those with no interest in
learning HDL, the Xilinx High Level Synthesis tool can be used to define custom peripheral blocks
by writing them in C.
The Arty S7's Soft SoC configurations are powered by MicroBlaze processor cores. MicroBlaze is
a 32-bit RISC soft processor core, designed specifically to be used in Xilinx FPGAs. The
MicroBlaze processor in an Arty S7 SoC configuration is typically run at 100 MHz, though it is
possible to design your SoC so that it can operate at over 200MHz. The Arty S7 supports large
MicroBlaze programs with demanding memory requirements by providing 16MB of non-volatile
program memory and 256MB of DDR3L RAM.
After you design your soft SoC configuration for the Arty S7 you can start writing programs for it.
This is done by exporting your SoC design out of Vivado IPI and into the Xilinx Software
Development Kit (XSDK), an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for designing/debugging
MicroBlaze programs in C and C++. After the IPI to XSDK handoff, XSDK is automatically
configured to include libraries and examples for the peripheral blocks you've included in your SoC.
At this point, programming the Arty S7 is very similar to programming other SoC or microcontroller
platforms: Programs are written in C, programmed into board over USB, and then optionally
debugged in hardware. Soft SoC configurations and MicroBlaze programs can also be loaded into
the 16MB non-volatile program memory so that they execute immediately after Arty S7 is powered
on.
Although the Arty S7 is particularly well suited for Microblaze Soft SoC designs, it can also be
programmed with a Register-Transfer Level (RTL) circuit description like any other FPGA
development platform. This design flow requires that you describe your RTL circuit using an HDL
within Vivado, and it does not use the Vivado IPI or XSDK tools. Designing this way has many
advantages, but is very unlike programming a single board computer, and instead is used by those
familiar with FPGA design or interested in designing and implementing a digital circuit that doesn't
contain a processor.