Market Trends Motivate a Shift-Left in Functional Verification

Market Trends Motivate a Shift-Left in Functional Verification
by Jean-Marie Brunet on 09-15-2016 at 4:00 pm

Today, in the context of functional verification, industry trends are based on the needs of prominent vertical markets. There is some overlap in what these markets need, but there are some use models that are very specific to each market.

We assert this because we have a lot of customers asking about emulation solutions not from … Read More


Pseudo random generator tutorial in VHDL (Part 3/3)

Pseudo random generator tutorial in VHDL (Part 3/3)
by Claudio Avi Chami on 09-04-2016 at 4:00 pm



On the first two chapters of this Tutorial we started with a simple LFSR module and added a test bench. Then, on chapters three and four we upgraded our module with some features and learned to export the test bench data to files.
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Striving for one code base in accelerated testbenches

Striving for one code base in accelerated testbenches
by Don Dingee on 08-26-2016 at 4:00 pm

Teams buy HDL simulation for best bang for the buck. Teams buy hardware emulation for the speed. We’ve talked previously about SCE-MI transactors as a standardized vehicle to connect the two approaches to get the benefits of both in an accelerated testbench – what else should be accounted for?… Read More


Optimization and verification wins in IoT designs

Optimization and verification wins in IoT designs
by Don Dingee on 08-17-2016 at 4:00 pm

Designers tend to put tons of energy into pre-silicon verification of SoCs, with millions of dollars on the line if a piece of silicon fails due to a design flaw. Are programmable logic designers, particularly those working with an SoC such as the Xilinx Zynq, flirting with danger by not putting enough effort into verification?… Read More


Aldec extends FPGA and ASIC flows at DAC

Aldec extends FPGA and ASIC flows at DAC
by Don Dingee on 05-20-2016 at 4:00 pm

Aldec tools and services have long been associated with FPGA designs. As FPGAs have evolved toward more RTL-based designs, the similarities between a modern FPGA verification flow and an ASIC verification flow often leave them looking virtually the same. … Read More


Fastest SoC time-to-success: emulators, or FPGA-based prototypes?

Fastest SoC time-to-success: emulators, or FPGA-based prototypes?
by Don Dingee on 02-11-2016 at 12:00 pm

Hardware emulators and FPGA-based prototyping systems are descendants of the same ancestor. The Quickturn Systems Rapid Prototype Machine (RPM) introduced in May 1988 brought an array of Xilinx XC3090 FPGAs to emulate designs with hundreds of thousands of gates. From there, hardware emulators and FPGA-based prototyping … Read More


Secret Sauce of SmartDV and its CEO’s Vision

Secret Sauce of SmartDV and its CEO’s Vision
by Pawan Fangaria on 08-26-2015 at 4:00 pm

SmartDV started as a small setup in Bangalore in 2008 and by now is one of the most respectable VIP (Verification IP) companies in the world. Having a portfolio of 83 VIPs in its kitty and growing, it has a large customer base, including the top semiconductor companies around the world. The company has grown significantly and is raring… Read More


Real FPGAs don’t eat fake test vectors

Real FPGAs don’t eat fake test vectors
by Don Dingee on 06-26-2014 at 8:00 am

Vector blasting hardware is as old as digital test methodology itself. In the days of relatively simple combinational and finite state machine logic, a set of vectors aimed broadside at inputs could shake loose most faults with observable outputs. With FPGAs, creating an effective set of artificial test vectors has become a lot… Read More