CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
11 January 2007
Implementation Investments
Sequence Delivers DVD-Aware Timing, Advanced Power Flow for Sandbridge Technologies Next-Gen Wireless Designs
Sequence Design announced that wireless IC pioneer Sandbridge Technologies has adopted Sequence's PowerTheater and CoolTime for "timing-aware" dynamic voltage drop optimization on its next-generation products.
Sandbridge has created a series of increasingly sophisticated baseband chips for wireless applications. These multi-million gate devices present unique challenges, requiring more silicon- and power-aware design technologies to achieve a successful end product.
The Sandbridge team deployed the Sequence flow on one of their power-gated designs to analyze, optimize, and verify dynamic voltage drop on their power and ground rails. PowerTheater enabled the team to minimize the number of simulation vectors required for identifying the most critical simulation cycles for dynamic voltage drop and to set up CoolTime for detailed power and ground simulation, using both power switch and package parasitics for the highest accuracy analyses. Additionally, CoolTime optimized the dynamic voltage drop by automating the insertion of decoupling capacitors in critical areas.
CoolTime's ability to limit voltage drop without impacting timing or signal integrity is particularly noteworthy, thanks to a built-in timing engine that enables concurrent analysis and optimization of electrical effects. CoolTime also computes the impact of dynamic voltage drop on timing and signal integrity while accurately accounting for the interdependence of events, currents, and voltages within a single tool. CoolTime's library characterization feature using SPICE enables the accurate calculation of voltage drop effects on cell delays and transition times.
"Good planning, along with sound methodologies and tools lay the groundwork for success at 90nm and below," said Gary Nacer, Sandbridge vice president of engineering. " Sequence has focused technology for the development of low-power designs."
"The power-aware design challenge for market and technology leaders such as Sandbridge is to produce quality silicon while consistently hitting critical time-to-market windows," said Sequence president and CEO Vic Kulkarni. "We are very pleased to know both PowerTheater and CoolTime are playing important roles in the design of these next-generation products."
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