Advances in ATPG from Synopsys

Advances in ATPG from Synopsys
by Daniel Payne on 02-02-2026 at 10:00 am

Synopsys TestMAX family

I first learned about ATPG – Automatic Test Program Generation in the 1980s at Silicon Compilers, then continued in the 90s at Viewlogic with the Sunrise tools, so it was illuminating to get an update from Synopsys on their ATPG technology by attending a webinar. Synopsys over the years has developed a family of test tools, shown … Read More


From Silicon To Systems

From Silicon To Systems
by Daniel Payne on 05-31-2021 at 10:00 am

digitalization min

The annual Siemens Digital Industries Software user group event was held virtually on May 26th, which made it easy to attend from my home office, although selecting from the list of speakers was a challenge, because they offered 475 sessions, wow. My focus is EDA, so I listened to Joseph Sawicki, the Executive Vice President, IC … Read More


Ultra-low Voltage: Is Your Slack Really Positive? Are You Sure?

Ultra-low Voltage: Is Your Slack Really Positive? Are You Sure?
by Paul McLellan on 08-06-2015 at 7:00 am

During synthesis and static timing the main figure of merit is “slack”. If a signal arrives with time to spare before it is needed (often measured against the setup time before a clock changes at a register) then the slack is positive. Positive slack is generally a good thing, although it can indicate over-design if … Read More