Automating Functional ECOs using Encounter Conformal Technology
Karsten Matt, AMD, Muthukumaravelu Velayoudame, AMD, Vince Pham, Cadence Design Systems, Kenneth Chang, Cadence Design Systems, Masood Makkar, Cadence Design Systems, Inc. Inc. Inc. Inc. Inc.
September 11, 2007
Agenda
About AMD About Group CAD SAPR Existing ASIC Flow Described
SAPR
ECO Challenges for SAPR Flow Conformal ECO Put-to-the-Test (& Results) ECO Flow: Integrating Conformal ECO Incr-SAPR Summary Benefits
September 11, 2007
Automating Functional ECOs using Encounter Conformal Technology
About AMD
From then 1969: AMD incorporates with $100,000; establishes headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. To now 2007: Over the course of AMD's three decades in business, silicon and software have become the steel and plastic of the worldwide digital economy. Today AMD is a customer-centric innovation company, a processing powerhouse that offers smarter choices for its customers and makes technology more accessible to the world.
About SAPR CAD group
The Synthesis Auto Place & Route (SAPR) expert group addresses the digital design flow requirements
September 11, 2007
Automating Functional ECOs using Encounter Conformal Technology
AMDs 45nm SAPR Design Flow
RTL SDC FP
Synthesis + Auto P&R Block Size:
LEC
Physical Synthesis, CG
250-500k instances
Placement, Clock Mesh
SAPR Cycle:
~1-4 days Tech Files
CTS, Hold optimization
Timing:
Up to 1GHz Up to 8 clocks
LEC
Route, PRO
Sign-Off
September 11, 2007
Automating Functional ECOs using Encounter Conformal Technology
Common SAPR Design Challenges
Design Performance
Timing, Area
Design Power
Leakage, Dynamic Power
Design Cycles
Time to Market, Implementation cycle time
Technology Challenge
45nm Design rules, physical verification, SI
Design Complexity
Functional Verification, Late RTL changes
September 11, 2007
Automating Functional ECOs using Encounter Conformal Technology
Late RTL change What is the problem?
Flow Runtime
600 500 400 300 200 100 0 syn
250000 200000
Design Leaf cell count
place 150000
100000 50000 0
cts
route
pro
syn total repater # total leaf cell #
place
cts
route
pro
Redo this for every RTL change???
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Automating Functional ECOs using Encounter Conformal Technology
ECO Challenges for SAPR Flow
Challenge 1: Turnaround Time functional RTL change requires a complete flow re-run
Run 1
Synth, STA, PR
Run 2 - ECO
Synth, STA, PR
Run 3 ECO
Synth, STA, PR
Time
Challenge 2: Unpredictability = RISK Current ECO approach offers very little predictability (like: new critical paths) Challenge 3: Re-fitting with other hierarchical blocks Potential IF timing problems
September 11, 2007
Automating Functional ECOs using Encounter Conformal Technology
Conformal ECO as a Solution How it Works
Flow Chart
Old RTL (R1)
Synthesis New RTL (R2)
Test Insertion
P&R Synthesis
New Netlist (G2)
Old Netlist (G1)
Old DEF
Incremental optimizations and P&R
Final Netlist
EC
Patch
Map
ECO Netlist (G3)
Conformal ECO
September 11, 2007
Automating Functional ECOs using Encounter Conformal Technology
Verification Concern: How do I formally verify my ECO?
Old RTL (R1) New RTL (R2)
Answer: Part of the Conformal ECO flow is to run LEC to confirm 100% matching results : 1. R1 vs. G1 2. R2 vs. G2 3. G2 vs. G3
Synthesis
EC #2
Synthesis
Test Insertion
EC #1
New Netlist (G2)
P&R
Old Netlist (G1)
EC #3
Patch
Map Conformal ECO
ECO Netlist (G3)
September 11, 2007
Automating Functional ECOs using Encounter Conformal Technology
Baseline Conformal ECO script
# 1. step normal LEC compare old RTL gate netlist vs new RTL gate netlist
<normal LEC setup/run old vs new netlists> compare analyze_eco <patch.file> -replace
# 2. step - map the patch eco netlist
read_design $GOLDEN_NETL add_eco_library stdcell map_eco_patch <maped.file> -replace -noconstraint -instancenaming "ECO_%d" -netnaming "ECOnet_%d $NETL_DIR/$PATCH_NETL -verilog -sensitive -replace
# 3. step - write out merged eco netlist
read_design $GOLDEN_NETL -root $MODULE_NAME -verilog -golden -sensitive replace read_design $NETL_DIR/$MAPED_NETL -append apply_patch write_design $MODULE_NAME file_eco" -golden -report ECO.report $ECO_NETL -replace
# 4. step - final compare for eco netlist vs new RTL gate netlist
<normal LEC setup/run new netlist vs ECO netlist>
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Automating Functional ECOs using Encounter Conformal Technology
Conformal ECO Evaluation Results
Design Size ECO @ RTL Conformal Patch Size Run Time 442 sec
Block A
37K instances
Insert 4 DFF(s) and modify 4 assign statement Insert 64 inverters into a 64-bit select line
// 12 library cell(s) are in the patch // 4 DFF(s) are in the patch
Block B
2.2 K instances
// 1 library cell(s) is freed
25 sec
Block C
752K instances
Replace a || with &&
// 3 library cell(s) in the patch
6 sec
Block D
67K instances
Insert an inverter into an assign statement
// 4 library cell(s) in the patch
100 sec
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Automating Functional ECOs using Encounter Conformal Technology
Conformal ECO Put-to-the-Test (& Results)
Enhancement requests during the evaluation
Ease-of-Use:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. add a prefix string to ECOed instance and net names. IMPLEMENTED detail report of new/recycled/freed cells. IMPLEMENTED provide a list of dont-use cells, in addition to understand the dont-use attribute in liberty library IMPLEMENTED create new ECO primary inputs and outputs, or convert single port to bussed port and vice versa IMPLEMENTED Re-arrange the ECO netlist (G3) format, easily view the delta among G1 vs G3 netlists Plan Release: 7.2
Quality of Result:
1. Improve the patch size [i.e. # of ECO gates needed] for same or comparable to a manual ECO. IMPLEMENTED
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Automating Functional ECOs using Encounter Conformal Technology
Results from our ECO flow
Design A Leaf Cell # 82,400 Design data Final Utilization 67% Final DRCs 0 Implementation Total: 55 min CPU Time (Psyn 200s, Place 410s, CTS/Hold 1150s, Route 1590s) RTL change/Patch size Add FSM state (56 leaf cells) Design B Leaf Cell # 185,100 Final Utilization 56% Final DRCs 0 Total: 490 min (Psyn 3921s, Place 8430s, CTS/Hold 8690s, Route 8406s) increase FSM counter size (67 leaf cells)
ECO implementation time
Total: 22 min LEC: 13 min Physical ECO: 9 min
Total: 157 min LEC: 52 min Physical ECO: 105 min
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Automating Functional ECOs using Encounter Conformal Technology
Summary
SAPR flow requires by each RTL change a complete re-run of the flow
Causes unnecessary challenges and long turnaround time
An incremental approach is an extension to the existing SAPR flow to handle ECOs A more automated solution using Conformal ECO has been successful
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Automating Functional ECOs using Encounter Conformal Technology
Benefits
Incr-SAPR flow is now in BETA with Conformal ECO integrated as the solution to handle ECOs without performing a complete re-run of SAPR each time RISK Predictability This process is repeatable and is time saving, ability to reduce ECOs to less than a day
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Automating Functional ECOs using Encounter Conformal Technology
Q&A
Thanks for your attention!
Trademark Attribution
AMD, the AMD Arrow, logo and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. Other names used in this presentation are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners. 2007 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Automating Functional ECOs using Encounter Conformal Technology
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Automating Functional ECOs using Encounter Conformal Technology
