CMSIS-Build is a set of tools, software frameworks, and work flows that improve productivity:

CPRJ is a generic CMSIS-aware project file format that allows IDEs and command-line build tools to share the same projects.
A Continuous Integration (CI) work flow for projects that are based on software components supplied in CMSIS-Pack format.
Software Layers enable code reuse across different targets. A software layer is a pre-configured software component selection and user source code.
CMSIS-Driver VIO is a set of generic input/output functions for example and test code. It allows to fast migration from evaluation boards to production hardware.

The figure below shows how the CMSIS-Build components may be used to create a IoT cloud application:

The Board I/O layer contains the drivers and device configuration for a specific evaluation board.
The Cloud layer implements the software components that are required to connect to a Cloud Service Provider (CSP).
The Application Code may start with a reference example and is expanded to application specific requirements that access specialized peripherals.

Software Layers and Virtual I/O

Software layers and Virtual I/O simplify these use cases:

Port software from evaluation board to custom hardware:

Frequently, the software development starts on an evaluation board, for example because production hardware is not yet available. The VIO component allows you to use the I/O capabilities of an evaluation kit and disconnect it when moving to production hardware. In case the production hardware uses a different device configuration or different I/O drivers, the Board I/O layer may be swapped.

Deliver reference examples for many different evaluation boards:

Reference examples are a great way to demonstrate a software solution. It is however expensive to support many different evaluation boards. The VIO and CMSIS-Driver components give reference examples for a consistent interface to target hardware. When such a consistent set of components is available as a Board I/O layer for many different evaluation boards, it allows to run a Cloud layer together with a reference example. The tools for Command Line Build allow to combine various different layers and allow in this way to generate several different reference examples on a range of evaluation boards.

Components of CMSIS-Build

Specification of a generic project file format:

Project Description (*.cprj) Format describes all XML elements that are available for the project description and how to use them.

Tools that support Command Line Build with software packs and the generic project file format:

cbuildgen: Build Process Manager generates a standard MAKE or CMakeLists.txt file and allows to manage software layers.
ccmerge: Config File Updater updates configuration files that are based on Configuration Wizard Annotations.