Getting A Handle On RTL X-Verification Challenges

By Graham Bell - 27 Mar, 2014 - Comments: 1

The problem logic designers have with X’s is that RTL simulation is optimistic in behavior and this can hide real bugs in your design when you go to tapeout. Some engineers point out that we have always had to deal with X’s and nothing has really changed. In fact, today’s SoC employ different power management schemes that wake-up or suspend IP. As any designer knows, when powering ... » read more

Are Designers’ X-Analysis Needs Different From Verification Engineers?

By Lisa Piper - 11 Nov, 2013 - Comments: 0

The propagation of unknown (X) states has become a more pressing issue with the move toward billion-gate SoC designs. Besides the sheer complexity of these designs, the common use of complex power management schemes increase the likelihood of an unknown ‘X’ state in the design translating into a functional bug in the final chip. This article describes a methodology that enables design an... » read more

Low Power Verification – “X” Marks the Spot

By David Hsu - 10 Oct, 2013 - Comments: 1

Welcome to a new discussion on a range of topics we think will be interesting to folks who design and verify SoCs. Though the name of this blog denotes two top attributes of SoCs—IP implementation and the pervasive need for low power (LP), we certainly may go far beyond the scope of these topics in upcoming posts. We’ll start with a topic on the LP side, and going forward we’ll alternate ... » read more

Knowledge Centers
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tag: Xs

Getting A Handle On RTL X-Verification Challenges

Are Designers’ X-Analysis Needs Different From Verification Engineers?

Low Power Verification – “X” Marks the Spot