Cadence Design Systems, Inc.

Synopsys, Inc.

Manish Pandey

Chih-Chang Lin

Huan-Chih Tsai

Kei-Yong Khoo

Vivek Chickermane

Ankur Gupta

Patrick Gallagher

Pinhong Chen

Sandeep Bhatia

Qi Wang

Yung-Te Lai

Angela Krstic

Arunava Saha

Jinqing Yu

Yee-Wing Hsieh

Christina Chu

Steven Sharp

Bret Siarkowski

Yonghao Chen

Mitchell W Hines

Andy Lin

Bret Siarowski

Bharat Chandramouli

Marcelo Glusman

Per Mattias Bjesse

Himanshu Jain

Ashvin Mark Dsouza

Madan M Das

Rajat Arora

Samuel L Kerner

Chuan Jiang

Shan-Chyun Ku

Marcalo Glusman

Ming-Ying Chung

Yonghoa Chen

A machine learning model predicts the hardness of unsolved properties. For example, the machine learning model may predict the relative hardness of pairs of properties&#x2014;i.e., which property in the pair is harder to solve. These hardness predictions may then be used to formulate a priority order for a formal verification process to attempt to solve the unsolved properties. As the formal verification process progresses, it generates results. For example, certain properties may be solved. These results are used to update a training set, which is used to further train the machine learning model. The machine learning model is trained at runtime with incremental fine-tuning as the formal verification process progresses.

Estimating hardness of formal properties using on-the-fly machine learning

A method or apparatus comprising a verification system using a processor to utilize a first set of verification engines to solve easy properties of an integrated circuit design, such as RTL, running a machine-learning algorithm for a hardness ranking analysis on a plurality of properties based on data from the first set of verification engines, and ranking the plurality of properties by a hardness of verification. The method or apparatus further to order the plurality of properties based on the hardness of verification.

RTL verification using computational complexity-based property ranking and scheduling

A formal verification tool that verifies multiple sequentially-generated versions of a core circuit design by obtaining search path information from the formal verification solver for each property that is proven or disproven during a first formal verification session involving an earlier-generated circuit design version, and utilizing the search path information to perform search-path verification processes during a subsequent formal verification session to quickly verify the proven/disproven properties in a later-generated circuit design version. Each property's search path information includes counterexample traces or proof artifacts identifying the search operations utilized to achieve a corresponding counterexample or proof object that proves/disproves the property. Search-path verification involves applying the stored search path information to the later-generated circuit design version, and determining if the same counterexample or proof object is achieved. The stored search path information is also utilized to perform efficient path-influenced search processes when the search-path verification process fails.

Formal verification using cached search path information to verify previously proved/disproved properties

A method, system or computer usable program product for model checking a first circuit model including receiving a request from a user for a model check of the first circuit model; responsive to receiving the user request, simulating the first circuit model to generate simulation results; hashing the first circuit model simulation results to generate a hash index; comparing the hash index to a database of prior hash indices generated from hashed simulation results of prior circuit models to determine whether the first circuit model hash index matches a prior hash index of any of the prior circuit models to identify a matching prior circuit model; upon a positive match, determining whether the first circuit model is equivalent to the matching prior circuit model; and upon a positive determination of equivalence, providing prior test results of the matching prior circuit model to the user.

Managing model checks of sequential designs

A method, system or computer usable program product for model checking a first circuit model including determining whether the first circuit model is functionally equivalent to one of a set of prior circuit models stored in persistent memory, and in response to determining functional equivalence, utilizing a processor to provide test results for the functionally equivalent prior circuit model.

A method and system for generating design constraints for an electronic circuit design is disclosed. The method and system include reading a design description and an existing design constraint file, configuring design constraint integration rules, writing a new design constraint file, evaluating results of the new design constraint file, and replacing existing design constraint file with the new design constraint file.

Method and system for generating design constraints

A method of adding power control circuitry to a circuit design at each of an RTL and a netlist level comprising: demarcating multiple power domains within the circuit design; specifying multiple power modes each power mode corresponding to a different combination of on/off states of the multiple demarcated power domains; and defining isolation behavior relative to respective power domains.

Method and mechanism for implementing electronic designs having power information specifications background

A method for implementing a single file format for power-related information for an IC comprising: providing a circuit design in at least one design file in a non-transitory computer readable storage device; providing power-related design information in a file in the computer readable storage device that is separate from the at least one design file and that specifies multiple power domains within the circuit design, each power domain including one or more design object instances from within the circuit design and that specifies multiple power modes each power mode corresponding to a different combination of on/off states of the multiple specified power domains and that specifies isolation behavior relative to respective power domains; and using a computer to add power control circuitry to the circuit design that implements the power domains and power modes and isolation behavior specified in the power specification information.

Certain embodiments of the present invention enable comparisons between constrained circuit designs by generating timing graphs for circuit designs, mapping timing constraints to the timing graphs, and comparing the mapped timing constraints from different timing graphs. Typically this comparison is made by identifying corresponding nodes in two or more timing graphs. Specific embodiments are also directed to multiple SDC (Synopsis Design Constraint) constraint specifications for a circuit and multiple constraint sets for different operational modes of a circuit.

Verifying multiple constraints for circuit designs

Method and system for verifying power specifications of a low power design are disclosed. The method includes receiving a register-transfer level (RTL) netlist representation of the low power design, receiving a power specification file for describing power requirements of the low power design and verifying the power specification file in accordance with the RTL netlist representation of the low power design. The method further includes verifying completeness, compatibility, and consistency of power requirements for the low power design.

Method and system for verifying power specifications of a low power design

Method and system for equivalence checking of a low power design are disclosed. The method includes receiving a register-transfer level (RTL) netlist representation of a circuit, receiving a power specification file for describing power requirements of the circuit, creating a low power gate netlist for representing a design implementation of the circuit using the RTL netlist and the power specification file, creating a reference low power RTL netlist for representing a design specification of the circuit using the RTL netlist and the power specification file, and performing equivalence checking between the low power gate netlist and the reference low power RTL netlist. The method further includes annotating low power information described in the power specification file into the reference low power RTL netlist, and creating low power logic in the reference low power RTL netlist.

Method and system for equivalence checking of a low power design

Method for analyzing a circuit composed of MOS devices. The method can be used to direct MOS devices in static and dynamic circuits and involves identifying an undirected MOS device that connects nets. Functions of the nets that cause each net to be logic values are defined as a function of inputs to the circuit. The defined functions can include pulldown functions or both pullup and pulldown functions. A set of rules is used to determine the direction of a signal that flows through a device and applies defined functions. The rules for analyzing static devices may differ from the rules for analyzing dynamic devices. Devices that are determined to have uni-directional signal flow can be directed. Additionally, devices having bi-directional signal flow and uni-directional observability can be directed.

Method for analyzing circuits having MOS devices

Some embodiments relate to a method and apparatus for performing logic equivalence checking (EC) of circuits using adaptive learning based on a persistent cache containing information on sub-problems solved from previous equivalency checking runs. These sub-problems can include basic EC tasks such as logic cone comparison and/or state element mapping.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Manish Pandey