DAC 2012: Google your way to DFM
The Silicon Integration Initiative (Si2) is targeting the end of the year for release 2.0 of its OpenDFM standard, which will include support for DRC+ and make it possible to build search engines for yield.
Author Archives: Chris Edwards
ESL: are we there yet?
Verification drives system-level adoption as sales leap 76%. Virtual prototyping is also on the rise but there are gaps in the tool-set.
DAC 2012: The platforms are taking over
At last year’s DAC, leading EDA analyst Gary Smith said chip design had run into a big problem: it was already too expensive to be worthwhile for most companies. Soon afterwards, three companies rang to tell him that the figures were too pessimistic: it was not costing in the region of $75m but perhaps just […]
DAC 2012: Calypto brings tools together for high-level power savings
Calypto has combined the Catapult high-level synthesis (HLS) tool with elements of its PowerPro software to focus on the demand for lower-power SoC designs.
TI tool hands out low-power tips
Texas Instruments has put together a tool aimed at users of its MSP430 microcontroller family that will help cut the power consumption of their applications.
Analog designers ‘need to use digital tools’
Designers working on mixed-signal circuits will benefit from using digital tools, Cadence's SVP of R&D for custom design said at CDNLive EMEA today. But for those who don't a faster fast Spice is on its way.
Intel’s tapered fin reveals short-channel issues
A startup has analyzed the shape of Intel's fins and found the process is not quite as well-behaved as circuit designers would perhaps like.
Mentor unveils second-generation Veloce emulator
Mentor Graphics has updated its Veloce emulator, using a newly developed chip to double capacity while, at the same time, developing new software to overcome the traditional handicaps of in-circuit emulation.
Xilinx revamps design software for new processes
Xilinx has created Vivado, a new set of tools to support sub-30nm FPGAs that, for advanced designs at least, will take over from its long-established ISE suite.
SpringSoft tackles analog automation with new twist on constraints
SpringSoft is trying a different approach to constraint-based design in a bid to improve the automation of custom and mixed-signal design, particularly on advanced process nodes.