MIPS offers several different software simulator options.  There are two categories of simulators, they are:

Cycle Accurate (CA)

Cycle accurate software simulators will run software simulating the CPU operation to the accuracy of a single clock cycle.  This type of simulator is the most complex of all simulators and must be setup to exactly match the hardware configuration of the target system.  CA simulators are provided with a MIPS processor core license, contact your MIPS salesperson for more information.

Instruction Accurate (IA)

Instruction accurate simulators model the CPU to the level of instruction accuracy with no regard for clock speed or other effects of hardware.  These simulators are best suited for software development when you want to check your compliance with the MIPS instruction set.  MIPS offers two options for IA simulators, they are:

• Navigator ICS
• Imperas
• QEMU