D&R Industry Articles (July 2010)

Featured Article

Generating AMD microcode stimuli using VCS constraint solver

As microprocessor designs have grown considerably in complexity, the use of hand-written directed tests in verification has dwindled. In this article, we explore using a hierarchical constrained-random approach to accelerate generation and reduce memory consumption, while providing optimal distribution and biasing to hit corner cases using the Synopsys VCS constraint solver. We present and analyze the method and discuss its effectiveness in today’s verification environment.

Featured Article

Real Time Non-intrusive Debugging Framework

This paper briefly discusses a low cost non-intrusive debugging methodology, specifically focus on the timing critical environment. Real time monitoring is the key consideration; other key considerations will be evaluated from hardware, firmware and software aspects, in order to make the setup as flexible as possible. Findings of a case study will also be shared in the subsequent section on this proven methodology.

Featured Article

MIPI M-PHY takes center stage

The curtain is up and the M-PHY specification is taking center stage, positioned to handle the many different roles required for a faster, more reliable, physical interface layer (PHY Layer) on mobile devices.