Real Intent

The challenge of clock-domain crossings – and some solutions

Clock domain crossing bugs undermine the productivity gains of moving to block-based design, but can be tackled through hierarchical formal analysis.

Clock-domain and reset verification in the low-power design era

The multiple clock domains on today’s SoCs create a hotbed for clock-domain crossing bugs to thrive. Low-power design techniques increase the complexity of tracking these bugs down. Find out how these failures arise and what to do about them.

A common methodology to manage X propagation in both design and verification

The propagation of unknown (X) states has become a more pressing issue with the move toward billion-gate SoC designs. The sheer complexity and the common use of complex power management schemes increase the likelihood of an unknown ‘X’ state translating into a functional bug in the final chip.

X propagation woes

This paper presents a complete and practical methodology to comprehensively solve the X problem in RTL design. It reviews common sources of Xs and describes how they cause functional bugs as well as excess debug cycles.

Reset optimization pays big dividends before simulation

Reset is no longer simply an 'X' issue but also feeds into power optimization. Catching issues early greatly speeds verification.
by Pranav Ashar

When to retool the front-end design flow?

In the back-end world of circuit net lists and layouts, the decision to retool is simpler as the move to a new silicon technology node typically dictates when to change. In front-end design, it is much harder to identify when key metrics are not being met. Can you determine the real switching cost?

Real Intent updates lint tool, adds Matlab and Simulink support

Real Intent adds rules to lint tool, strengthens SystemVerilog support, integrates with MATLAB and Simulink.

Complexity drives smart reporting

Increasingly complex state machines are driving the need for smarter ways of reporting errors such as deadlocks and unreachable code in the source RTL.
by Lisa Piper