Scalable Verification of Memory Consistency (Purdue University)


A new technical paper titled "QED: Scalable Verification of Hardware Memory Consistency" was published by researchers at Purdue University. Abstract "Memory consistency model (MCM) issues in out-of-order-issue microprocessor-based shared-memory systems are notoriously non-intuitive and a source of hardware design bugs. Prior hardware verification work is limited to in-order-issue processors... » read more

Engineers Or Their Tools: Which Is Responsible For Finding Bugs?


Experts at the table: Finding and eliminating bugs at the source can be painstaking work, but it can prevent bigger problems later in the design flow, when they are more difficult and expensive to fix.  Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss these issues with Ashish Darbari, CEO at Axiomise; Ziyad Hanna, corporate vice president R&D at Cadence; Jim Henson, ASIC verification software... » read more

Navigating Design Challenges


Explore the future of IC design with the Calibre Shift left initiative. In this paper, author David Abercrombie reveals how Siemens is changing the game for block/chip design-stage verification by moving Calibre verification and reliability analysis solutions further left in the design flow, including directly inside your P&R tool cockpit. Discover how you can reduce traditional long-loop v... » read more

LLMs For EDA, HW Design and Security


A new technical paper titled "Hardware Phi-1.5B: A Large Language Model Encodes Hardware Domain Specific Knowledge" was published by researchers at Kansas State University, University of Science and Technology of China, Michigan Technological University, Washington University in St. Louis and Silicon Assurance. Abstract "In the rapidly evolving semiconductor industry, where research, design... » read more

Overcoming The Challenges Of Verifying Multi-Die Systems


Despite clear advantages of multi-die systems, the decision to design a multi-die system rather than a traditional monolithic SoC is not easy. There are numerous new challenges that stand in the way of multi-die system realization. This white paper focuses on the verification challenges of multi-die systems, including: Addressing capacity and performance for system verification Valid... » read more

Accellera Preps New Standard For Clock-Domain Crossing


Part of the hierarchical development flow is about to get a lot simpler, thanks to a new standard being created by Accellera. What is less clear is how long will it take before users see any benefit. At the register transfer level (RTL), when a data signal passes between two flip flops, it initially is assumed that clocks are perfect. After clock-tree synthesis and place-and-route are perfor... » read more

Weak Verification Plans Lead To Project Disarray


The purpose of the verification plan, or vplan as we call it, is to capture all the verification goals needed to prove that the device works as specified. It’s a big responsibility! Getting it right means having a good blueprint for verification closure. However, getting it wrong could result in bug escapes, wasting of resources, and possibly lead to a device failing altogether. With the foc... » read more

A Game-Changer For IP Designers: Design-Stage Verification


Discover how to transform your IP design process with the Calibre Shift left initiative. In this new technical paper, you’ll gain valuable insights into how, by moving physical verification earlier in the IP design flow, you can locate and correct design errors sooner, reducing costs and getting complex designs to market faster. Dive into the challenges of hard, soft and custom IP creation, a... » read more

Generating And Evaluating HW Verification Assertions From Design Specifications Via Multi-LLMs


A technical paper titled “AssertLLM: Generating and Evaluating Hardware Verification Assertions from Design Specifications via Multi-LLMs” was published by researchers at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Abstract: "Assertion-based verification (ABV) is a critical method for ensuring design circuits comply with their architectural specifications, which are typically describe... » read more

Unraveling PCIe 6.0 Loopback And Digital Near-End Loopback Feature


The PCIe specification has given a specific Link Training and Status State Machine (LTSSM) state named Loopback, which is intended for test and fault isolation use. Basically, it gives a mechanism that involves looping back the data that was received in the Loopback LTSSM state. The entry and exit behavior are specified, and all other details are implementation-specific. Loopback can op... » read more

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