14 DAY TRIAL // Advanced Micro Devices is going to be making lots of system-on-chip devices from now on, but the complexity of technologies and interfaces means it can't afford to mess up too much.
The design stage is just one step of creating a marketable device. Verification and manufacture come after, and then the product can be put up for sale.
Problems can arise if the items have inherent design flaws, so IT players need to carefully test them before giving the green light for mass production.
Advanced Micro Devices has decided to call on the services of another in its quest to make sure that, whatever SoCs it makes in the future, it will make properly.
Synopsys, Inc., a provider of software and intellectual property used in design, verification and manufacture of electronic components and systems, was the one whose help was enlisted.
It will permit AMD to use the next-generation Discovery Verification IP (VIP), based on the VIPER architecture. It basically speeds up and simplifies verification of even the most complex SoC designs while being easy to use.
"In our verification environment for Southbridge SoCs and IP cores, we utilize several interfaces, including AXI3 and USB 3.0. After an extensive evaluation, we selected Synopsys' next-generation Discovery VIP for several of our leading SoC designs," said Thomas Bodmer, manager of design engineering at AMD.
"With Discovery VIP, we have seen benefits in minimizing our simulation runs and achieving higher coverage. We have used Synopsys' Protocol Analyzer technology to narrow down protocol violations and debug the root causes."
Synopsys' Protocol Analyzer, a unique protocol-aware SoC debug environment, falls under the terms of the agreement as well, along with other VIP titles like ARM AMBA AXI interconnect, SATA 3.0, USB 3.0, PCI Express Gen 3 and MIPI.
"The strategic agreement announced today expands and accelerates the successful long-standing verification collaboration between AMD and Synopsys," said Manoj Gandhi, senior vice president and general manager of the Synopsys Verification Group.
"With the increasingly critical nature of VIP in SoC verification, we continue to collaborate with AMD to deliver leading VIP technology that helps manage the total cost of verification."