Abstract: A computer-implemented method for inserting clock-gating in a register-transfer level (RTL) design is provided. The computer-implemented method includes flattening the RTL design, identifying modules and state elements in the RTL design, computing a clock-gating expression for each of the state elements of the RTL design, selecting terms of the clock-gating expression for each one of the state elements that is traceable to signals in a same one of the modules as the one of the state elements, determining which clock-gating terms are equivalent to those of other state elements in the RTL design, clustering state elements with equivalent clock-gating terms into clusters and inserting clock-gating logic, which equates to the equivalent clock-gating terms, into the RTL design for each cluster.

Abstract: A method for verifying Multi-Cycle Interconnect Synthesis (MCIS) optimization in an automatically generated physical hierarchy chip design, the method includes introducing a logical hierarchy to a Hierarchy Manipulation Tool (HMT) to automatically generate a physical chip design, wherein the physical chip design includes a logical hierarchy an a physical hierarchy, optimizing the physical chip design to develop an optimized physical chip design, processing the optimized physical chip design to account for forward annotation and to generate a modified physical chip design, processing the logical hierarchy to account for backward annotation and to generate a modified logical hierarchy and verifying that the modified logical hierarchy and the modified physical chip design are consistent with each other.

Abstract: A first plurality of hardware description language (HDL) files describe a hierarchical integrated circuit design utilizing a simplified HDL syntax that omits specification of logical clock connections for at least some entities in the hierarchical integrated circuit design. The hierarchical integrated circuit design as described by the first plurality of HDL files is processed to automatically add logical clock connections for entities in the hierarchical integrated circuit design for which specification of logical clock connections are omitted in the first plurality of HDL files. Based on the processing, a second plurality of HDL files defining the hierarchical integrated circuit design is generated.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method, system, and computer program product for applying scalable formal coverage analysis to a testbench. A set of properties proven unhittable in an original testbench is selected to be considered for coverage analysis. A gate (e.g., latch) of a device under test is selected and mutated, where the mutation includes utilizing a random value and where a mutation property for the set of selected properties proven unhittable is associated with the mutated gate of the device under test. It is then determined whether the mutation property is hittable or unhittable while the gate is mutated in order to determine whether the gate is covered by the selected properties. A gate is covered by the selected properties if the mutation property is hittable while the gate is mutated. Furthermore, a gate is uncovered by the selected properties if the mutation property is unhittable while the gate is mutated.

Abstract: Based on a directive in a control file, a processor pre-routes, within a hierarchical integrated circuit design, a signal through one or more levels of design hierarchy between a signal source at a higher level of the design hierarchy and an entity instance at a lower level of the design hierarchy. The processor processes entity instances in the design hierarchy in a bottom-up manner to insert technology-specific structures into the hierarchical integrated circuit design. During the processing, the processor inserts into a particular entity instance of the design hierarchy a technology-specific structure and connects the technology-specific structure to the signal pre-routed to the particular entity instance by the pre-routing.

Abstract: A method, a computer system, and a computer program product for detection of unintended dependencies between hardware design signals from pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) taps is provided. Embodiments of the present invention may include identifying one or more tap points in a design as an execution sequence. Embodiments of the present invention may include sampling the tap points by propagating the tap points in the design with different delays. Embodiments of the present invention may include defining observation points to identify tap collisions based on the tap points. Embodiments of the present invention may include identifying tap collisions. Embodiments of the present invention may include identifying one or more sources of the tap collisions in the design. Embodiments of the present invention may include eliminating the one or more sources of uninteresting tap collisions out of the tap collisions and filtering one or more of the tap collisions.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and/or system is disclosed for testing integrated circuits, e.g., processors, that includes: generating a software design prototype of the functional behavior of an integrated circuit to be tested; creating a lab All-Events-Trace (AET) normalized model of the integrated circuit, wherein the normalized model captures the functions of the integrated circuit and not the non-functional aspects of the integrated circuit; generating a lab scenario using the software design prototype and the AET normalized model of the integrated circuit for a particular cycle of interest, wherein the lab scenario contains initialization for all signals that have hardware information; and generating a replayed lab normalized AET for the particular cycle of interest.

Abstract: Techniques include configuring a sequential circuit monitor having been generated by applying a quantifier elimination to each random bit position of random inputs associated with a formal verification driver and selecting a value for random inputs to drive a next stage logic of sequential circuit simulation monitor, a state of the next stage logic being used by sequential circuit simulation monitor to generate sequential inputs to match those permitted by formal verification driver, formal verification driver being specified for a DUT input interface. An equivalence check between sequential circuit simulation monitor and original formal driver matches the same set of sequential inputs permitted original formal driver.

Abstract: A processor receives, as input, a first hardware description language (HDL) file defining an entity of a modular circuit design. The first HDL file instantiates, by a storage element declaration in a hardware description language, a storage element within the entity. The first HDL file omits a port map for the storage element. Based on the first HDL file, the processor automatically fully elaborates a port map for the storage element. The processor stores, in data storage, a derived second HDL file defining the entity and including the port map.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and/or system is disclosed for testing integrated circuits, e.g., processors, that includes: generating a software design prototype of the functional behavior of an integrated circuit to be tested; creating a lab All-Events-Trace (AET) normalized model of the integrated circuit, wherein the normalized model captures the functions of the integrated circuit and not the non-functional aspects of the integrated circuit; generating a lab scenario using the software design prototype and the AET normalized model of the integrated circuit for a particular cycle of interest, wherein the lab scenario contains initialization for all signals that have hardware information; and generating a replayed lab normalized AET for the particular cycle of interest.

Abstract: A processor receives an expression of design refinement intent with regard to an entity forming a part of a modular circuit design. The entity is defined by a hardware description language (HDL) file, and the expression of design refinement intent identifies an intent region within an implementation of the entity and specifies replacement logic for the region. Based on the expression of design refinement intent, the processor automatically modifies the HDL file by replacing logic within the intent region with the replacement logic. The processor then performs logical synthesis to generate a gate list representation of the modular circuit design as modified.

Abstract: A processor receives, as input, a first hardware description language (HDL) file defining an entity of a modular circuit design. The first HDL file instantiates, by a storage element declaration in a hardware description language, a storage element within the entity. The first HDL file omits a port map for the storage element. Based on the first HDL file, the processor automatically fully elaborates a port map for the storage element. The processor stores, in data storage, a derived second HDL file defining the entity and including the port map.

Abstract: A first plurality of hardware description language (HDL) files describe a hierarchical integrated circuit design utilizing a simplified HDL syntax that omits specification of logical clock connections for at least some entities in the hierarchical integrated circuit design. The hierarchical integrated circuit design as described by the first plurality of HDL files is processed to automatically add logical clock connections for entities in the hierarchical integrated circuit design for which specification of logical clock connections are omitted in the first plurality of HDL files. Based on the processing, a second plurality of HDL files defining the hierarchical integrated circuit design is generated.

Abstract: Based on a directive in a control file, a processor pre-routes, within a hierarchical integrated circuit design, a signal through one or more levels of design hierarchy between a signal source at a higher level of the design hierarchy and an entity instance at a lower level of the design hierarchy. The processor processes entity instances in the design hierarchy in a bottom-up manner to insert technology-specific structures into the hierarchical integrated circuit design. During the processing, the processor inserts into a particular entity instance of the design hierarchy a technology-specific structure and connects the technology-specific structure to the signal pre-routed to the particular entity instance by the pre-routing.

Abstract: A first plurality of hardware description language (HDL) files defines a first scope of design forming only a subset of a larger hierarchical integrated circuit design. Technology-specific structures specific to a physical implementation are incorporated in the first scope of design. A second plurality of HDL files defining a first design entity that is at the first scope of design and that includes the technology-specific structures is generated. A third plurality of HDL files defining a second scope of design for the hierarchical integrated circuit design that is larger than and includes the first scope of design is formed. The third plurality of HDL files is processed to form a representation of the second scope of design. Processing the third plurality of HDL files includes replacing a second design entity in the second scope of design lacking at least some technology-specific structures with the first design entity.

Abstract: Techniques include configuring a sequential circuit monitor having been generated by applying a quantifier elimination to each random bit position of random inputs associated with a formal verification driver and selecting a value for random inputs to drive a next stage logic of sequential circuit simulation monitor, a state of the next stage logic being used by sequential circuit simulation monitor to generate sequential inputs to match those permitted by formal verification driver, formal verification driver being specified for a DUT input interface. An equivalence check between sequential circuit simulation monitor and original formal driver matches the same set of sequential inputs permitted original formal driver.

Abstract: A method, a computer system, and a computer program product for detection of unintended dependencies between hardware design signals from pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) taps is provided. Embodiments of the present invention may include identifying one or more tap points in a design as an execution sequence. Embodiments of the present invention may include sampling the tap points by propagating the tap points in the design with different delays. Embodiments of the present invention may include defining observation points to identify tap collisions based on the tap points. Embodiments of the present invention may include identifying tap collisions. Embodiments of the present invention may include identifying one or more sources of the tap collisions in the design. Embodiments of the present invention may include eliminating the one or more sources of uninteresting tap collisions out of the tap collisions and filtering one or more of the tap collisions.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for appending abstractions to a testbench used for verifying the design of an electronic circuit. According to an embodiment of the invention, a method comprises identifying a set L of one or more support properties l for a set P of one or more properties p for a given electronic circuit; computing a plurality of hardware signals s of the given electronic circuit; and creating a plurality of abstract signals ABS, including declaring a fresh abstract signal abs_s for each of the hardware signals s, and creating a fresh abstract signal abs_l for each of the support properties l of the set L; for each of the properties p of the set P, creating an abstract property version abs_p; and appending the abstract signals ABS and the abstract property abs_p to the testbench to form an appended testbench.

Abstract: Techniques include configuring a sequential circuit monitor having been generated by applying a quantifier elimination to each random bit position of random inputs associated with a formal verification driver and selecting a value for random inputs to drive a next stage logic of sequential circuit simulation monitor, a state of the next stage logic being used by sequential circuit simulation monitor to generate sequential inputs to match those permitted by formal verification driver, formal verification driver being specified for a DUT input interface. An equivalence check between sequential circuit simulation monitor and original formal driver matches the same set of sequential inputs permitted original formal driver.

Abstract: A method and/or system is disclosed for pre-silicon verification of a first integrated circuit design modified to a second integrated circuit design to avoid a hit of property P where property P has a known counterexample. The method/system includes applying a first implication check in an equivalence testbench on the first integrated circuit and on the second integrated circuit to determine whether the second integrated circuit hits property P in the same way as the first integrated circuit hits property P. Additionally or alternatively applying a second implication check to determine whether the second integrated circuit hits property P at a different timestep than the first integrated circuit hits property P. Additionally or alternatively applying a third implication check to determine whether the second integrated circuit hits property P further along a path than the first integrated circuit hits property P.