Siemens EDA Automotive Insights, for Analysts

Siemens EDA Automotive Insights, for Analysts
by Bernard Murphy on 11-16-2021 at 6:00 am

Siemens auto electronics min

There is a classical approach to EDA marketing, and semiconductor marketing at times, which aims exclusively at technical customers and the businesspeople immediately around those experts. The style is understandable and necessary. Those folks are the direct influencers and buyers of the products we are promoting, so we must… Read More


Minimizing MCU Supply Chain Grief

Minimizing MCU Supply Chain Grief
by Bernard Murphy on 11-11-2021 at 6:00 am

Siemens AUTOSAR min

I doubt there is anyone who hasn’t felt the impact of supply chain problems, from late ecommerce deliveries (weeks) to kitchen appliances (up to 6 months or more). Perhaps no industry has been more affected than auto makers, whose cars are now critically dependent on advanced electronics. According to a white paper recently released… Read More


CDC for MBIST: Who Knew?

CDC for MBIST: Who Knew?
by Bernard Murphy on 11-09-2021 at 6:00 am

CDC for MBIST

Now and again, I enjoy circling back to a topic on which I spent a good deal of time back in my Atrenta days – clock domain crossing analysis (CDC). This is an area that still has opportunity to surprise me at least, in this case looking at CDC analysis around MBIST logic. CDC for MBIST might seem strange. Isn’t everything in test mode synchronous… Read More


Back to Basics in RTL Design Quality

Back to Basics in RTL Design Quality
by Bernard Murphy on 11-03-2021 at 6:00 am

Deming min

Harry Foster waxes philosophical in a recent white paper from Siemens EDA, in this case on the origins of bugs and the best way to avoid them. Spoiler alert, the answer is not to make them in the first place or at least to flush them out very quickly. I’m not being cynical – that really is the answer though practice often falls short of ideal.… Read More


Memory Consistency Checks at RTL. Innovation in Verification

Memory Consistency Checks at RTL. Innovation in Verification
by Bernard Murphy on 10-28-2021 at 6:00 am

Innovation New

Multicore systems working with shared memory must support a well-defined model for consistency of thread accesses to that memory. There are multiple possible consistency models. Can a design team run memory consistency checks at RTL? Paul Cunningham (GM, Verification at Cadence), Raúl Camposano (Silicon Catalyst, entrepreneur,… Read More


Cadence Reveals Front-to-Back Safety

Cadence Reveals Front-to-Back Safety
by Bernard Murphy on 10-27-2021 at 6:00 am

J897 Functional Safety Press Image small min

This is another level-up story, a direction I am finding increasingly appealing. This is when a critical supplier in the electronics value chain moves beyond islands of design automation to provide an integrated solution for the front-to-back design for capabilities now essential for automotive and industrial automation … Read More


Physically Aware SoC Assembly

Physically Aware SoC Assembly
by Bernard Murphy on 10-26-2021 at 6:00 am

SoC Assembly min 1

We used to be comfortable with the idea that the worlds of logical design and physical implementation could be largely separated. Toss the logical design over the wall, and the synthesis and P&R teams would take care of the rest. That idea took a bit of a hit when we realized that synthesis had to become physically aware. The synthesis… Read More


AI and ML for Sanity Regressions

AI and ML for Sanity Regressions
by Bernard Murphy on 10-13-2021 at 6:00 am

machine learning for regressions min

You probably know the value proposition for using AI and ML (machine learning) in simulation regressions. There are lots of knobs you can tweak on a simulator, all there to help you squeeze more seconds, or minutes out of a run. If you know how to use those options. But often it’s easier to talk to your friendly AE, get a reasonable default… Read More


IBM and HPE Keynotes at Synopsys Verification Day

IBM and HPE Keynotes at Synopsys Verification Day
by Bernard Murphy on 10-06-2021 at 6:00 am

Synopsys Verification Day 2021 View Ondemand min

I have attended several past Synopsys verification events which I remember as engineering conference room, all-engineer pitches and debates. Effective but aiming for content rather than polish. This year’s event was different. First it was virtual, like most events these days, which certainly made the whole event feel more… Read More


An ISA-like Accelerator Abstraction. Innovation in Verification

An ISA-like Accelerator Abstraction. Innovation in Verification
by Bernard Murphy on 09-29-2021 at 6:00 am

Innovation New

A processor ISA provides an abstraction against which to verify an implementation. We look here at a paper extending this concept to accelerators, for verification of how these interact with processors and software. Paul Cunningham (GM, Verification at Cadence), Raúl Camposano (Silicon Catalyst, entrepreneur, former Synopsys… Read More