Product category:
Design and Development Software
News Release from: InnoLogic Systems | Subject: ESP-CV
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 07 May 2003
Functional verification checks out
memory IP
InnoLogic's ESP-CV product is now an integrated part of the overall verification process at Artisan Components.
InnoLogic Systems has acheived a major customer win from Artisan Components InnoLogic's ESP-CV product is now an integrated part of Artisan's overall verification process
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 11 Mar 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Tools validate embedded memories
STMicroelectronics' Central R and D division is using InnoLogic's ESP-CV to eliminate functional bugs in its embedded memories.
Verification tools boost embedded memory yields
Virage Logic is using ESP-CV as part of its quality assurance programme to further increase the quality of its ASAP Memory product line.
ESP-CV increases Artisan verification quality as it easily and cost-effectively validates design modifications and new features added to Artisan memory products.
The InnoLogic offering provides complete functional verification coverage by verifying the equivalence of a Spice-level implementation netlist against a behavioural-level simulation reference model.
It is currently being used by Artisan to verify dual-port SRAMs, single- and two-port register files, and diffusion and via programmable ROMs.
Further reading
Hybrid power analyser speeds digital TV IC signoff
LG has selected Acad's FinePower IR drop and electromigration analysis tool for the design and verification of a complex full chip used in its latest digital TV.
DSP software drives VoIP system
Adaptive Digital has been selected by InSciTek to develop a turnkey DSP software solution for its VoIP telephone based on the TI TMS320C5x DSP chip.
Dian Yang, President and CEO of InnoLogic, noted, "With full custom silicon implementations consuming an increasingly larger portion of SoC designs, the verification challenge is growing exponentially.
In order to remain competitive, IP providers such as Artisan need to readily incorporate new functionality into their full custom memory products in the most cost- and time-efficient manner possible.
With ESP-CV, Artisan can verify added functions and new design features with greater ease and efficiency.
This helps Artisan maintain a high standard of quality for its current and successive generations of IP".
Brent Dichter, Vice President of Engineering for Artisan components stated, "As IC designs move to 90 nanometres, our IP subsystems are growing larger and occupying more SoC real estate.
In addition, with the requirement for robust testability, soft-error repair and redundancy solutions, a switch-level simulation solution alone cannot thoroughly verify the highly complex circuitry in these sophisticated designs".
Dichter continued, "ESP-CV gives us the ability to easily validate new designs and product features without incurring the cost of developing comprehensive vectors each time we add new functionality.
This enables us to continually enhance our memory products to address the changing needs of our customers while maintaining the high quality of our IP.
In addition, because ESP-CV can directly verify transistor-level circuits, the tool was easy to use and required very little modification.
We have been able to easily integrate ESP-CV into our overall design flow and enhance the automation of that flow".
Prior to adopting ESP-CV, Artisan had exclusively used vector-based, switch-level simulators.
As designs become more complex, so do the suite of validation vectors.
With InnoLogic's ESP-CV, Artisan is able to verify two independently developed models from the same specification against one another for all instances of generated memories in an automated flow.
The ability to directly process Spice models enables Artisan to verify specialty circuits like memory storage cells and sense amplifiers in its aggressive 90-nanometre designs with little or no modifications.
• InnoLogic Systems: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Electronicstalk email newsletter
• Electronicstalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
