Coding Guidelines for Datapath Verification

Coding Guidelines for Datapath Verification
by Bernard Murphy on 06-01-2022 at 6:00 am

multiplier min

It has been an article of faith that you can’t use formal tools to validate datapath logic (math components). Formal is for control logic, not datapath, we now realize. We understood the reason – wide inputs (32-bit, 64-bit or more) fed through a multiplier deliver eye-watering state space sizes. State space explosions also happen… Read More


Creative Applications of Formal at Intel

Creative Applications of Formal at Intel
by Bernard Murphy on 12-01-2021 at 6:00 am

formal image min

One of the sessions I enjoyed at the Synopsys Verification Day 2021 was a presentation on applying formal to a couple of non-traditional problem domains. I like talks of this kind because formal can sometimes be boxed into a limited set of applications, under-exploiting the potential of the technology. Intel have built a centralized… Read More


Formal in the Field: Users are Getting More Sophisticated

Formal in the Field: Users are Getting More Sophisticated
by Bernard Murphy on 10-15-2019 at 5:00 am

Formal SIG 2019 meeting at Synopsys

Building on an old chestnut, if sufficiently advanced technology looks like magic, there are a number of technology users who are increasingly looking like magicians. Of course when it comes to formal, neither is magical, just very clever. The technology continues to advance and so do the users in their application of those methods.… Read More