Floorplanning Merged With Synthesis

Floorplanning Merged With Synthesis
by Paul McLellan on 10-02-2013 at 2:45 pm

One area of iteration that is becoming more problematic is between floorplanning and synthesis. So much of timing is driven by placement that fixing timing and even power often involves not just re-synthesis and re-placement but alterations to the floorplan. The Achilles heel of existing methods is that floorplanning tools … Read More


ST Endorses PowerArtist with ARM Cores & FDSOI libs

ST Endorses PowerArtist with ARM Cores & FDSOI libs
by Pawan Fangaria on 10-01-2013 at 12:00 pm

It was an interesting webinar I attended, presented by STMicroelectronicson how they are benefited in power saving and thermal dissipation by using FDSOI technology and also by using PowerArtist in their design. So, it’s an advantage from both sides – semiconductor technology and semiconductor design tool. It’s worth attending… Read More


With SCE-MI, timing really is everything

With SCE-MI, timing really is everything
by Don Dingee on 09-28-2013 at 11:00 pm

In one of my favorite movies, Brad Pitt utters the only question that matters in baseball or technology management in the face of uncertainty: “Okay, good. What’s the problem?” Not surprisingly in that scene, as the question circles the table of experts used to doing things the old way, not a single one can answer it correctly in the… Read More


Develop A Complete System Prototype Using Vista VP

Develop A Complete System Prototype Using Vista VP
by Pawan Fangaria on 09-22-2013 at 6:00 pm

Yes, it means complete hardware and software integration, debugging, verification, optimization of performance and power and all other operational aspects of an electronic system in semiconductor design. In modern SoCs, several IPs, RTL blocks, software modules, firmware and so on sit together on a single chip, hence making… Read More


Early Test –> Less Expensive, Better Health, Faster Closure

Early Test –> Less Expensive, Better Health, Faster Closure
by Pawan Fangaria on 09-18-2013 at 11:00 am


I am talking about the health of electronic and semiconductor design, which if made sound at RTL stage, can set it right for the rest of the design cycle for faster closure and also at lesser cost. Last week was the week of ITC(International Test Conference) for the Semiconductor and EDA community. I was looking forward to what ITCRead More


Cadence Introduces Palladium XP II

Cadence Introduces Palladium XP II
by Paul McLellan on 09-09-2013 at 8:00 pm

Well, despite all the arguments in the blogosphere about what process node palladium’s silicon is, and whether the design team is competent, and why it reports into sales…Cadence has announced their latest big revision of Palladium. Someone seems to be able to get things done. Of course it is bigger and faster and … Read More


Reliability sign-off has several aspects – One Solution

Reliability sign-off has several aspects – One Solution
by Pawan Fangaria on 09-01-2013 at 5:00 pm

Here, I am talking about reliability of chip design in the context of electrical effects, not external factors like cosmic rays. So, the electrical factors that could affect reliability of chips could be excessive power dissipation, noise, EM (Electromigration), ESD (Electrostatic Discharge), substrate noise coupling and… Read More


Innovation + Thoughtful Management = Productive Expansion

Innovation + Thoughtful Management = Productive Expansion
by Pawan Fangaria on 08-22-2013 at 12:00 pm

After looking at various aspects of this company, to sum up, I couldn’t find any better statement than this; thoughtful management here is actually leadership with passion which achieves tangible results. This reflects in the methodology of doing things in this company which has given it a place among top EDA companies in a span… Read More


RTL Design For Power

RTL Design For Power
by Daniel Payne on 08-11-2013 at 2:25 pm

My Samsung Galaxy Note II lasts about two days on a single battery charge, which is quite the improvement from the Galaxy Note I with only a one day battery charge. Mobile SoCs are being constrained by battery life limitations, and consumers love longer-laster devices.

There are at least two approaches to Design For Power:

  • Gate-level
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From Layout Sign-off to RTL Sign-off

From Layout Sign-off to RTL Sign-off
by Pawan Fangaria on 07-25-2013 at 5:00 am

This week, I had a nice opportunity meeting Charu Puri, Corporate Marketing and Sushil Gupta, V.P. & Managing Director at Atrenta, Noida. Well, I know Sushil since 1990s; in fact, he was my manager at one point of time during my job earlier than Cadence. He leads this large R&D development centre, consisting about 200 people… Read More