To wit:

  What is XLS?
  XLS implements a High Level Synthesis toolchain that produces synthesizable designs (Verilog and SystemVerilog) from flexible, high-level descriptions of functionality. It is Apache 2 licensed.

  XLS (Accelerated HW Synthesis) aims to be the Software Development Kit (SDK) for the End of Moore's Law (EoML) era. In this "age of specialization", software and hardware engineers must do more co-design across their domain boundaries -- collaborate on shared artifacts, understand each other's cost models, and share tooling/methodology. XLS attempts to leverage automation, software engineers, and machine cycles to accelerate this overall process.

  XLS enables the rapid development of hardware IP that also runs as efficient host software via "software style" methodology. An XLS design runs at native speeds for use in host software or a simulator, but that design can also generate hardware block output -- the XLS tools' correctness ensures (and provides tools to help formally verify) that they are functionally identical.

>"XLS enables the rapid development of hardware IP that also runs as efficient host software via "software style" methodology. An XLS design runs at native speeds for use in host software or a simulator, but that design can also generate hardware block output -- the XLS tools' correctness ensures (and provides tools to help formally verify) that they are functionally identical."

The ability to run and verify hardware designs quickly in software simulators is the key to rapid iteration of hardware designs, which is the key to more robust hardware, faster.

For that reason, XLS should be worth watching in this space...