Another debug view in the UVM Toolbox

Another debug view in the UVM Toolbox
by Don Dingee on 08-17-2014 at 1:00 am

One of the biggest endearing qualities of a debug environment for any type of coding is availability of multiple ways to accomplish a task. Whether the preference is keyboard shortcuts, mouse left-click drill-down and right-click pull-down menus, source code view, hierarchical class view, or graphical relationship view, … Read More


Transaction-based Emulation

Transaction-based Emulation
by Paul McLellan on 08-14-2014 at 7:01 am

Verification has been going through a lot of changes in the last couple of years. Three technologies that used to be largely contained in their own silos have come together: simulation, emulation and virtual-platforms.

Until recently, the workhorse verification tool was simulation. Emulation had its place but limits on capacity… Read More


Then, Python walked in for verification

Then, Python walked in for verification
by Don Dingee on 07-31-2014 at 12:00 am

Go ahead – type “open source” into the SemiWiki search box. Lots of recent articles on the IoT, not so many on EDA tools. Change takes a while. It has only been about five years since the Big Three plus Aldec sat down at the same table to work on UVM. Since then, Aldec has also gotten behind OS-VVM, and is now linked to a relatively new open… Read More


Pizza con Questa

Pizza con Questa
by Paul McLellan on 07-30-2014 at 11:01 am

Last week I went to a lunch and learn at Mentor about their Questa formal product given by Kurt Takara. Like everyone else these days, Questa is packaged as a number of Apps for doing different tasks. Formal verification is different from other EDA tools in that different approaches can be used for different sub-tasks. There are three… Read More


Enterprise IP Management – A Whole New Gamut in Semiconductor Space

Enterprise IP Management – A Whole New Gamut in Semiconductor Space
by Pawan Fangaria on 07-29-2014 at 8:00 pm

The world of IPs in the semiconductor landscape has completely changed the semiconductor design scenario, specifically the fabless design space. Today IPs are key components of any large semiconductor design, in the same way as auto ancillaries in auto design. It’s just the beginning, in the days to come we will see SoCs just as… Read More


So Easy To Learn VIP Integration into UVM Environment

So Easy To Learn VIP Integration into UVM Environment
by Pawan Fangaria on 07-02-2014 at 7:30 am

It goes without saying that VIPs really play a Very Important Part in SoC verification today. It has created a significant semiconductor market segment in the fabless world of SoC and IP design & verification. In order to meet the aggressive time-to-market for IPs and SoCs, it’s imperative that readymade VIPs which are proven… Read More


Synopsys Revamps Formal at #51DAC

Synopsys Revamps Formal at #51DAC
by Paul McLellan on 06-30-2014 at 6:02 pm

Synopsys announced verification compiler a couple of months ago and dropped hints about their static and formal verification. They haven’t announced anything much for a couple of years and it turns out that the reason was that they decided that the technology that they had, some internally developed and some acquired, … Read More


Jasper at DAC

Jasper at DAC
by Paul McLellan on 05-20-2014 at 6:55 pm

Wait, didn’t Cadence just acquire Jasper. Why is there a Jasper at DAC post?

So the big event is lunch on Tuesday, on Treasure Island. For out of towners that is the island in the middle of the bay bridge (actually just half of it). Food trucks, awesome views of the bay, and really cool street performers. There will be street magic,… Read More


Hardware/Software Debug

Hardware/Software Debug
by Paul McLellan on 05-04-2014 at 10:59 pm

One of the big challenges with modern SoCs is that they have a complex software component as well as the hardware itself being complex. Some aspects of the hardware can be debugged independently of the software and vice versa, but often it is not immediately clear whether the source of a problem is hardware, software or some interaction… Read More


Eric Esteve to Present during CDN Live 2014 in Munich

Eric Esteve to Present during CDN Live 2014 in Munich
by Eric Esteve on 05-01-2014 at 4:00 am

I will have the privilege to give an “IP Outlook” presentation during next Cadence event in Europe, CDN-Live to be held in Munich the 19[SUP]th[/SUP] to 21[SUP]st[/SUP] of May. I had a look at the agenda, and the conference will be pretty busy, especially on Tuesday, as there will be more than fifty presentations, starting at 10:30… Read More