CIE Components in Electronics
SpringSoft, a supplier of specialised IC design software, has announced that XMOS, developer of flexible multi-core microcontrollers for consumer and real-time applications, has adopted its latest generation OpenAccess (OA)-based Laker3 custom IC platform for analogue, mixed-signal, and custom digital design while the Kalray Corporation has selected SpringSoft’s portfolio of functional verification products for integration into its leading-edge chip development flow.
XMOS development teams have deployed the Laker3 Custom Layout System to integrate intellectual property (IP) components into a power management chip design. The intuitive methodology of the Laker3 platform, together with its broad foundry process design kit (PDK) support, enabled XMOS designers to implement it right away without extensive CAD customisation or complicated PDK development. XMOS completed its first IP integration project within weeks of installing the tool.
“XMOS is a young, agile company, and the ease-of-use and simplicity of the Laker3 layout system was exactly what we needed to productively execute this project,” said Jon Ferguson, director of silicon at XMOS. “The Laker3 platform enables us to integrate GDSII IP blocks quickly and easily, and effectively use our knowledge of Laker tools and SpringSoft’s excellent customer support to ensure design success.”
Kalray’s deployment of the Verdi3 Automated Debug, Siloti Visibility Automation, and Certitude Functional Qualification software is aimed at increasing debug efficiency and ensuring the highest quality verification environment.
The Verdi and Siloti systems work together as a unified platform that enables Kalray engineers to share critical design knowledge and analysis data resulting in significant productivity gains throughout the debug flow. The Certitude system provides objective metrics on the effectiveness of checking mechanisms and tests used by Kalray engineers to verify the functionality of key IP modules and connectivity of their MPPA MANYCORE processor designs.
Commenting Jehan-Philippe Barbiero, functional verification leader at Kalray said, “We use Certitude to measure and improve the quality of our verification environments. Using Certitude, we can focus our verification effort on the many key blocks within our advanced MPPA processor and thereby significantly reduce the risk of missing RTL bugs that could lead to costly re-spins.”
