ConformalAIStudio

As SoC designs become more complex, formal equivalence checks face greater challenges. To this end, Cadence has introduced Conformal AI Studio, a new Logical equivalence Check (LEC), Automated ECO (Conformal ECO) and low-power static checkout solution.

Conformal AI Studio combines artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) techniques to directly address the growing productivity needs of modern SoC teams. Its core engines are accelerated and optimized, including a distributed low-power engine that enables full-chip power checking of designs with billions of instances, new algorithm innovations, and simplified setup and AI enablement processes for LEC and ECO solutions.

Conformal AI Studio's ML-driven abort solution solves the more complex LEC problems that power users face today. Conformal AI Studio optimizes state-of-the-art implementation tools to increase design efficiency by 10 times, reduce ECO patch size by 10 times, process speed by 10 times, and achieve the best full process power, performance, and area (PPA).

Conformal AI Studio's innovative technology covers three core products:
Conformal AI Equivalence - Support for distributed Boolean logical equivalence checking, AI dashboards, and ML-driven proof engines.
Conformal AI ECO - Automatic generation of the functional ECO before and after the mask, creating high quality, efficient and implementable patches and ensuring predictable progress.
Conformal AI Low Power - Uses distributed and hierarchical processes to verify that the low-power circuit structure in a complex SoC meets the power intent of the design and performs an efficient low-power comparison of the two designs.

Early adopters of Conformal AI Studio say the solution shows significant benefits in advanced SOCs for infrastructure AI, hyperscale computing, and mobile markets.

"Mediatek has built industry-leading SOCs across a wide range of applications. Our design team needed innovative EDA tools to improve PPA faster, easier, and more reliably. This is particularly challenging when implementing the late stage function ECO." CW Ko, vice general manager of Silicon product development at Mediatek, explains. "During the trial of Cadence Conformal AI Studio, we achieved remarkable results. The new Conformal AI ECO process reduces the size of tactical ECO patches by 83% and reduces the run time by nearly half compared to previous solutions. In addition, Mediatek has deployed Conformal AI Low Power's fast power status table analysis enhancements, achieving more than a 100-fold increase in uptime and memory. We are also starting to adopt Conformal AI Studio's new ML-driven LEC abort solution."

Conformal AI ECO introduces a new Smart ECO process that reduces early partner uptime by up to 10x and patch size by 10x. This innovative approach utilizes RTL-level information and a new Boolean "Smart Cut" optimization algorithm to manage designs with multi-level structures and advanced data paths. In addition, the AI-driven ECO patch option also simplifies the implementation of functional ECO, while improving the implementation efficiency.

"Renesas has been actively testing Cadence's next-generation Conformal AI Studio, and the results are very encouraging. Thanks to a range of new Smart ECO technologies, the uptime of our automated function ECO processes has been reduced by more than 50%, while maintaining or even improving patch quality; In one critical ECO mission, the uptime was even reduced by 90 percent." Says Peter Bell, Director of digital design and validation at Renesas Electronics. "These innovations greatly simplify the setup process and enable more junior engineers to deploy solutions efficiently." "Our team was an early adopter of Conformal AI Studio's Cadence JedAI dashboard, convinced that its cross-project insights would help designers and managers more efficiently track their LEC tasks and automate ECO operations throughout the project."

While Cadence is committed to ensuring that Conformal tools are always implementation-independent, when used in conjunction with Cadence digital design and signing tools, process efficiency can be significantly improved. Genus Synthesis Solution, Joules RTL Power Solution and Innovus Implementation System plus Cadence JedAI Solution and Cadence The integration of Cerebrus Intelligent Chip Explorer not only effectively reduces power consumption, but also further improves performance.

"For decades, Conformal technology has been the most trusted process-independent LEC solution on the market, ensuring that implementation tools get the job done without introducing silicon errors. However, the design challenges are becoming more complex, while SoC chip cycles are shrinking." Said Chin-Chi Teng, senior Vice President and general manager of Cadence's Digital and Signature Business unit. "The new Conformal AI Studio was born. The new generation of fully distributed and multithreaded core engines can handle today's most complex designs and support leading sequence optimization validation technologies to help enhance PPA. Integrated with the Cadence JedAI Big Data platform and the ML-powered Cadence Cerebrus, Conformal AI Studio helps customers reduce uptime by 5-10 times. To enable abort problem resolution during logical equivalence, ECO patch optimization, and SoC level low power static checking and debugging."