Harmonic Balance Memory Estimation for IC Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Harmonic balance analysis in integrated circuit design often requires substantial memory and processing resources, making it difficult to estimate the necessary resources beforehand, leading to potential analysis failures due to insufficient resource allocation.
Innovation Solution
A method to estimate the memory needed for harmonic balance analysis by measuring the database size and calculating the memory required for matrices, solution vectors, and Newton iteration, using a statistical distribution to determine the total memory requirements, allowing for accurate planning of computing resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the designer requests sufficient memory for harmonic balance analysis, then the analysis can complete successfully, but the memory resources may be idle if the estimate is too high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by measuring database size and calculating problem size before the actual harmonic balance analysis executes. This advance estimation allows the system to allocate appropriate memory resources in advance, avoiding both insufficient memory (which would cause failure) and excessive memory allocation (which would waste resources). The memory estimation is performed as a preliminary step that informs subsequent resource allocation decisions.
2Loss of energy
If the designer does not request sufficient memory, then resources are conserved, but the analysis will fail and simulation time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs memory estimation as a preliminary action before launching the full simulation. By calculating the database size and problem size in advance, the system can determine the appropriate memory allocation needed to prevent analysis failure. This preliminary estimation avoids the waste of simulation time that would occur if the analysis were to fail due to insufficient memory allocation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by using the measured database size and calculated problem size to adjust memory allocation decisions. The system continuously monitors these parameters and uses them to make informed decisions about resource allocation, ensuring that sufficient memory is provided to prevent analysis failure while avoiding excessive allocation.
3Reliability
If the designer requests memory in excess of requirements, then analysis success is guaranteed, but resources are wasted and other designers are discouraged from accessing them
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary memory estimation by measuring database size and calculating problem size before the analysis executes. This advance calculation allows for precise memory allocation that guarantees analysis success without excessive allocation. By knowing the exact memory requirements in advance, the system can allocate just enough resources to ensure success while maintaining high overall resource utilization efficiency across the design team.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the present invention provide a system and method to estimate the amount of memory a harmonic balance analysis will require by measuring the memory allocated for a circuit database for a circuit undergoing harmonic balance analysis, determining the problem size of the harmonic balance analysis based on the information in the database, calculating the amount of memory for matrices, solution and auxiliary vectors needed for the harmonic balance analysis, and estimating the additional memory needed to complete a Newton iteration of the harmonic balance analysis using previously compiled statistical distributions. The total needed memory will be the sum of the measured, calculated, and estimated needed memory. A lower and an upper bound estimation of the total memory usage is provided. This information can be used by the circuit or system designer and/or an analysis or simulation tool for planning the computing resources necessary to execute the harmonic balance analysis.