Perforce Software looks to accelerate SoC development

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Perforce Software has announced the launch of Methodics IPLM 3.0 in what the company has described as the next evolution of the Methodics IP lifecycle management platform. Methodics was acquired by Perforce earlier this year.

Methodics IPLM 3.0 is intended to solve complex semiconductor development challenges by building on its traceability platform for IP and system on chip (SoC) development. The platform will help companies manage the planning process of SoCs by allowing what-if analysis of early design prototypes and automating the delivery of an IP bill of materials (BoM) to development teams.

Methodics IPLM also adds new security solutions to help companies address the challenges of sharing IP and the security concerns around global IP leakage, which often costs companies many millions of dollars.

“Without the ability to understand where IP is being used, from designers’ workspaces all the way to products being delivered, it is nearly impossible to be able to deliver solutions on time and meet product requirements,” said Simon Butler, General Manager for Methodics IPLM. “Without the ability to manage not only the IP but all the metadata associated with the design, teams waste time tracking down the correct version of IP - and trying to track down where IP has been used in previous designs. This slows down delivery and leads to time-to-market delays.”

This version of Methodics IPLM goes further than any other platform to manage the BoM of design assets in a SoC. With Methodics IPLM 3.0, this capability is now extended to the planning phase of SoC design, allowing for true what-if analysis of build vs. buy vs. reuse of IP, and insight into the implications on design cost and product schedule.

“We’re excited to bring these new features to market,” continued Butler. “The new planning BoM functionality will help semiconductor teams accelerate design, development, and delivery by managing iterations on the project plan and delivering the execution BoM to development teams.”

Additional enhancements to Methodics IPLM include improved IP analytics and performance improvements. Building on the vast metadata management layer of the IP lifecycle management platform, Methodics IPLM allows companies to perform complex analytics such as IP cost modelling, functional safety analysis, and external threat analysis of IP functionality.

Also included in the latest version of the platform are improved performance for IP sharing and distribution throughout globally distributed development teams, and the introduction of custom defined objects to facilitated the rapid prototyping and delivery of solutions.