Adaptive Cost Schedule for IC Routing Congestion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Integrated circuit devices face routing congestion due to the competition for finite routing resources, leading to inefficiencies and suboptimal circuit design implementations.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that determine and adapt cost components for routing resources based on the characterization of congestion, using a cost schedule that initially allows overlap and gradually increases resource costs to resolve congestion, employing graph-based routing techniques and adaptive cost calculations tailored to the specific circuit design and its placement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If routing resources are shared among multiple signals, then routing capacity is improved, but routing congestion increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverouting capacityVSAvoidrouting congestion

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the cost schedule adaptive and time-varying. The routing cost is not fixed but evolves during the routing process, starting with lower costs to encourage resource sharing and increasing costs as congestion develops, dynamically balancing capacity utilization with congestion control

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the cost parameter of routing resources based on congestion characterization. By adjusting the cost schedule parameter according to measured congestion levels, the system optimizes the trade-off between routing capacity and congestion, allowing flexible adaptation to different routing scenarios

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Manufacturing precision

If routing cost is increased to resolve congestion, then routing quality is improved, but routing runtime increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverouting qualityVSAvoidrouting runtime

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary characterization of routing congestion before executing the full routing process. By pre-analyzing congestion patterns and preparing an adaptive cost schedule in advance, the system avoids iterative adjustments during routing, thereby improving routing quality while minimizing additional runtime

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The routing system uses its own congestion characterization data to automatically generate and adjust the cost schedule without external intervention. This self-service approach allows the system to optimize routing quality adaptively while avoiding the overhead of external control mechanisms

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS8122420B1Congestion elimination using adaptive cost schedule to route signals within an integrated circuit

Publication Date: 2012.02.21 XILINX INC

AI summary

A computer-implemented method of routing a circuit design for a target integrated circuit (IC) can include determining a characterization of routing congestion of the circuit design within the target IC and determining a first order cost component of using routing resources of the target IC according to the characterization. The method can include determining a higher order cost component of using routing resources of the target IC according to the characterization and assigning signals of the circuit design to routing resources according to costs calculated using the first order cost component and the higher order cost component. Signal assignments of the circuit design can be output.