Harnessing Artificial Intelligence For Trusted IC Signoff


After years of behind-the-scenes work, artificial intelligence (AI) is now embedded throughout the technology world—from space exploration to everyday apps on our smartphones. There is a circular feedback loop in which we design more powerful computer chips to train AI models and use them; and then use those AI models to design even more powerful chips. The use of AI in the software used for ... » read more

ASIC Prototyping — New Design Realities Demand A New Approach


Modern ASIC design pushes prototypes to model vast RTL interactions across many FPGAs, often under high-bandwidth conditions that strain traditional systems. Verification teams also need fluid movement between emulation and at-speed prototyping, exposing any gaps in flow, tooling, or model continuity. This white paper presents an integrated solution that addresses these challenges through a uni... » read more

Hardware From Specifications Using AI


There is a lot of excitement these days surrounding the idea that AI could make it possible to go from a specification to a design with absolutely no hardware skills. Well, get in line, because this is the umpteenth potential technology that was going to make that possible. Don't get me wrong, it just might do it, but will this be an implementation that is reliable, have decent performance, ... » read more

Enabling A Critical Phase in SoC Development


High speed execution of an SoC model on an FPGA-based prototyping system is essential—both to permit development and verification of the full software stack and to understand hardware/software interactions—before silicon is available. But for SoC designs that include high-speed, voluminous I/O, it is equally essential that the prototype be exercised with large amounts of real-world I/O o... » read more

Pre-Silicon Verification and Validation Methodology Targeting Robust RISC-V Chip Designs (BSC)


A new technical paper, "Verification and Validation (V&V)-in-the-Loop for RISC-V Design: The Holistic Vision of BZL," was published by researchers at Barcelona Supercomputing Center. Abstract "The Barcelona Zetascale Lab (BZL) project aims to strengthening Europe's capacity in the design and manufacture of RISC-V based high-performance computing chips. In this context, we present a ho... » read more

Transforming DRC Closure At Advanced Nodes


If you’re working on SoCs at 2 nm or below, you know DRC is a different beast these days. Early in the design, it’s common for DRC runs to dump hundreds of millions—or even billions—of violations at your feet. And that’s when everything is changing fast: block interfaces aren’t fixed and constraints are shifting with every new iteration. Making sense of these massive result sets, fi... » read more

Assuring Comprehensive Security Coverage In Hardware Design


Is your hardware design prepared to withstand today’s complex threat landscape? Verifying the effectiveness of security functionality and protections is essential to safeguarding your designs. By adopting a systematic framework and measuring coverage throughout the pre-silicon development cycle, you can proactively identify vulnerabilities and strengthen your hardware’s resilience. Downl... » read more

Building An AI Chip: Silicon Design And Advanced Packaging


AI has become a key driver for the semiconductor industry as it is applied to ever more aspects of daily life. Many startups and established vendors are designing AI chips to accelerate algorithms and yield the best results. AI designs are large and complex, requiring advanced process nodes and putting stress on every step of the development process. Multi-die, or chiplet-based, design is becom... » read more

Emulation-based SoC Security Verification (U. of Florida)


A new technical paper, "Emulation-based System-on-Chip Security Verification: Challenges and Opportunities," was published by researchers at University of Florida. Abstract "Increasing system-on-chip (SoC) heterogeneity, deep hardware/software integration, and the proliferation of third-party intellectual property (IP) have brought security validation to the forefront of semiconductor desig... » read more

Shift Verification Left: AI Tools For Faster, Smarter Chip Design


Verification activities can consume up to 70% of an overall chip project's effort, underscoring the central challenge that verification poses in today's semiconductor development (Cadence SoC Verification report). The most time-consuming activities, debugging and coverage closure, require significant coordination between design and verification teams and largely dictate overall time-to-ma... » read more

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