14 April 2009
Spicing things up
Simulation software brings x4 boost in performance over Spice.
In a move aimed at improving simulation of large analogue and mixed signal circuits, as well as addressing the move to multicore based computing, Synopsys has launched CustomSim.
According to the company, the circuit simulation package brings together NanoSim, HSIM and XA which, along with added multicore capabilities, provides an up to 4x performance improvement.
Graham Etchells, director of product marketing with Synopsys' AMS group, said: "There are a range of circuits which fall in between Spice and FastSpice. For example, circuits in an SoC are digitally enhanced and Spice is too slow, while FastSpice is less accurate. We've tuned the Fast Spice engine to cover the gap."
Etchells likened CustomSim's operations to assertions in the digital domain. "If you can catch errors before simulation, it's more beneficial. We've broken the task into two distinct phases. A simple checker at an early stage will find such things as missing level shifters and floating gates. Meanwhile, dynamic checks during simulation catch things like devices operating outside of their safety areas."
Meanwhile, the company has also announced VCS multicore technology, said to deliver an x5 improvement in verification performance. The approach helps to address increasingly complex verification problems by distributing time consuming activities across multiple cores.
Steve Smith, senior director of platform marketing, noted: "Many designs don't lend themselves to partitioning because the compiler doesn't know about interactions. We're providing a profiling tool that validates circuit activity, allowing engineers to determine the best way to split up the design."
Author
Chris Shaw
Supporting Information
Websites
http://www.synopsys.com
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