PCB and package designers need to be concerned with Signal Integrity (SI) issues to deliver electronic systems that work reliably in the field. EDA vendors like Siemens have helped engineers with SI analysis using a simulator called HyperLynx, dating all the way back to 1992. Siemens even wrote a 56-page e-book recently, Signal… Read More
Electronic Design Automation
My Conversation with Infinisim – Why Good Enough Isn’t Enough
My recent post on a high-profile chip performance issue got me thinking. The root cause of the problem discussed there had to do with a clock tree circuit that was particularly vulnerable to reliability aging under elevated voltage and temperature. Chip aging effects have always got my attention. I’ve lived through a few of them… Read More
Build a 100% Python-based Design environment for Large SoC Designs
In the fast-evolving world of semiconductor design, chip designers are constantly on the lookout for EDA tools that can enhance their productivity, streamline workflows, and push the boundaries of innovation. Although Tcl is currently the most widely used language, it seems to be reaching its limits in the face of the growing… Read More
Keysight EDA 2025 launches AI-enhanced design workflows
The upcoming Keysight EDA 2025 launch has three familiar tracks: RF circuit design, high-speed digital circuit design, and device modeling and characterization. However, this update features a common thread between the tracks – AI-enhanced design workflows. AI speeds modeling and simulation, opening co-optimization for… Read More
Changing RISC-V Verification Requirements, Standardization, Infrastructure
A lively panel discussion about RISC-V and open-source functional verification highlighted this year’s Design Automation Conference. Part One looked at selecting a RISC-V IP block from a third-party vendor and investigating its functional verification process.
In Part Two, moderator Ron Wilson and Contributing Editor … Read More
Synopsys-Ansys 2.5D/3D Multi-Die Design Update: Learning from the Early Adopters
The demand for high-performance computing (HPC), data centers, and AI-driven applications has fueled the rise of 2.5D and 3D multi-die designs, offering superior performance, power efficiency, and packaging density. However, these benefits come with myriads of challenges, such as multi-physics, which need to be addressed.… Read More
New Product for In-System Test
The annual ITC event is happening this week in San Diego as semiconductor test professionals gather from around the world to discuss their emerging challenges and new approaches, so last week I had the opportunity to get an advance look at something new from Siemens named Tessent In-System Test software. Jeff Mayer, Product Manager,… Read More
An Illuminating Real Number Modeling Example in Functional Verification
I just read an interesting white paper on functional verification of analog blocks using SV-RNM (SystemVerilog real number modeling). The content is worth the effort to read closely as it elaborates a functional verification flow for RNM matching expectations for digital logic verification, from randomization to functional… Read More
Adding an AI Assistant to a Hardware Language IDE
I’ve been working with AMIQ EDA for several years, and have frequently been impressed by new capabilities in their Design and Verification Tools Integrated Development Environment (DVT IDE) family. They just announced AI Assistant, which leverages large language model (LLM) technology. LLMs are much in the news these days,… Read More
The Next LLM Architecture? Innovation in Verification
LLMs have amazing capabilities but inference run times grow rapidly with the size of the input (prompt) sequence, a significant weakness for some applications in engineering. State space models (SSMs) aim to correct this weakness. Paul Cunningham (GM, Verification at Cadence), Raúl Camposano (Silicon Catalyst, entrepreneur,… Read More
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