Synopsys made significant announcements during the recent TSMC OIP Ecosystem Forum, showcasing a range of cutting-edge solutions designed to address the growing complexities in semiconductor design. With a strong emphasis on enabling next-generation chip architectures, Synopsys introduced both new technologies and … Read More
Electronic Design Automation
Is AI-Based RTL Generation Ready for Prime Time?
In semiconductor design there has been much fascination around the idea of using large language models (LLMs) for RTL generation; CoPilot provides one example. Based on a Google Scholar scan, a little over 100 papers were published in 2023, jumping to 310 papers in 2024. This is not surprising. If it works, automating design creation… Read More
Automating Reset Domain Crossing (RDC) Verification with Advanced Data Analytics
The complexity of System-on-Chip (SoC) designs continues to rise at an accelerated rate, with design complexity doubling approximately every two years. This increasing complexity makes verification a more difficult and time-consuming task for design engineers. Among the key verification challenges is managing reset domain… Read More
The Immensity of Software Development and the Challenges of Debugging Series (Part 2 of 4)
Part 2 of this 4-part series reviews the role of virtual prototypes as stand-alone tools and their use in hybrid emulation for early software validation, a practice known as the “shift-left” methodology. It assesses the differences among these approaches, focusing on their pros and cons.
Safety Grading in DNNs. Innovation in Verification
How do you measure safety for a DNN? There is no obvious way to screen for a subset of safety-critical nodes in the systolic array at the heart of DNNs. Paul Cunningham (GM, Verification at Cadence), Raúl Camposano (Silicon Catalyst, entrepreneur, former Synopsys CTO and now Silvaco CTO) and I continue our series on research ideas.… Read More
Synopsys Powers World’s Fastest UCIe-Based Multi-Die Designs with New IP Operating at 40 Gbps
As the demand for higher performance computing solutions grows, so does the need for faster, more efficient data communication between components in complex multi-die system-on-chip (SoC) designs. In response to these needs, Synopsys has introduced the world’s fastest UCIe-based IP solution, capable of operating at a groundbreaking… Read More
Linear pluggable optics target data center energy savings
Data center density continues growing, driving interconnect technology to meet new challenges. Two of the largest are signal integrity and power consumption. Optical interconnects can solve many signal integrity issues posed by copper cabling and offer support for higher frequencies and bandwidths. Still, through sheer… Read More
Smarter, Faster LVS using Calibre nmLVS Recon
Back in the 1970s we did Layout Versus Schematic (LVS) checks manually, so when internal EDA tools arrived in the 1980s it was a huge time saver to use LVS in finding the differences between layout and schematics. One premise before running LVS is that both layout and schematics are complete and ready for comparisons. Fast forward… Read More
Bird’s Eye View Magic: Cadence Tensilica Product Group Pulls Back the Curtain
Even for experienced technologists some technologies can seem almost indistinguishable from magic. One example is the bird’s eye camera view available on your car’s infotainment screen. This view appears to be taken from a camera hovering tens of feet above your car. As an aid to parallel parking, it’s a brilliant invention; … Read More
Siemens EDA Offers a Comprehensive Guide to PCIe® Transport Security
It is well-known that there is more data being generated all the time. The need to store and process that data with less power and higher throughput dominates design considerations for virtually all systems. There is another dimension to the problem – ensuring the data is secure as all this movement and processing occurs. Within… Read More
Reachability in Analog and AMS. Innovation in Verification