Cloud SDA for Mixed Signal SoC Design Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The semiconductor industry faces challenges with increasing complexity in SoC design, leading to unreasonable development schedules, costs, and risks due to the limitations of human engineers' ability to understand and manage complex systems with over 50M logic gates and 1B transistors, necessitating new tools and capabilities for system design automation (SDA) beyond traditional Electronic Design Automation (EDA) capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based SDA system that automates the design and verification of mixed signal electronic circuitry with embedded software, allowing users to select and integrate IP functionality without expert knowledge, using a multi-agent architecture for flexible and scalable designs that support AI and ML integration, and enabling rapid design and simulation through a web-based interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If traditional EDA tools are used for SoC design, then design functionality can be achieved, but device complexity and development time increase unreasonably
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the SoC design process into distinct phases (specification, architecture, implementation, verification) and applies automated SDA tools selectively to different segments. This allows manual oversight for critical decisions while automating routine tasks, reducing overall complexity without sacrificing design quality or increasing development time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary SDA system that acts as a bridge between traditional EDA tools and the design team. This intermediary layer automates the translation of high-level specifications into detailed implementation, managing complexity while maintaining compatibility with existing workflows and tools.
2Ease of operation
If system designers manually manage complex IC hardware and software design, then design control is maintained, but design productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having system designers define high-level specifications and requirements before detailed design begins. The SDA tools then automatically generate and verify detailed implementations against these pre-defined specifications, maintaining design control while dramatically improving productivity by eliminating manual detailed design work.
Solution Approach 2:
The SDA system enables self-service by automatically performing tasks such as IP integration, verification environment generation, and design validation without requiring manual intervention from designers. This maintains design control through automated compliance checking while freeing designers to focus on high-level architecture and innovation.
3Productivity
If IP reuse is extended to all IC design flow aspects, then design efficiency improves, but integration and verification complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the SDA system automatically verifies IP integrations and reports issues back to designers. This continuous feedback loop ensures that IP reuse maintains design efficiency while integration complexity is managed through automated validation and error detection, preventing complexity from escalating uncontrollably.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical processes of IP integration and verification with automated SDA tools. This substitution handles the complexity of integrating multiple IP blocks and verifying their interactions automatically, maintaining design efficiency while reducing the burden of manual integration and verification management.
4Ease of operation
If cloud-based SDA tools are used, then collaboration and access improve, but data security and system reliability challenges arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing different security and access configurations for different parts of the design data and collaboration features. Sensitive information can be protected with stricter access controls while less sensitive data allows broader collaboration, maintaining both security and ease of operation through differentiated access policies.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for SDA of mixed signal electronic circuitry including embedded software designs for creating ASICs, sub-systems, and SoCs. The SDA system described extends IP reuse beyond the circuit and stand-alone verification capabilities that are common practice today which limit the benefits of reuse. By solving the integration problem first in a loosely coupled manner, complex mixed signal SoC devices may achieve higher levels of IP reuse with push button ease through the cloud, significantly improving time to market, design resource limitations, risks for first time silicon success, and the tasks of managing business multiple relationships of IP providers. SDA generated designs use a multi-agent method of operation, creating powerful and flexible designs that provide both NOC (Network on a Chip) and NBC (Network Beyond the Chip) for distributed system operation, and enhanced non-intrusive in-system monitoring for mission critical and safety related applications.