Si2 announces founding members of OpenPDK Coalition

DAC 2010, AUSTIN, USA: The Silicon Integration Initiative (Si2) has announced the founding members of the OpenPDK Coalition: AnaGlobe Technology, Cadence Design Systems, IBM, Intel Corp., Mentor Graphics, NXP, SpringSoft, STMicroelectronics, Pulsic and Synopsys.

This group has also issued a comprehensive Request for Technology (RFT) which covers: Foundry Provided Elements, Design Kit Creation Elements, EDA Tool Interfaces, and Utilities. The RFT solicits contributions covering the above areas from all stakeholders to create robust and open standards for PDK structures and supporting collateral to promote adoption based on proven ideas, specifications and functions.

The goal of the OpenPDK Coalition is to define a set of open standards to define a PDK structure that will be as portable across foundries and as agnostic to EDA tools as possible. The OpenPDK from Si2 will enable greater efficiency in PDK development, verification and delivery and will provide equivalent support to all foundries, all EDA tool vendors, all IP providers, and all end users.

This is an ambitious goal, and the project will use the most inclusive approach to involve all stakeholders to create an industry-wide solution. The OpenPDK project aims to support all process nodes up through 22nm, and including high-voltage analog processes.

“The OpenPDK project draws on many industry resources to create the broadest possible PDK interoperability solution, enabling greater efficiency and cost savings for both developers and users,” said Steve Schulz, president and CEO of Si2. “OpenPDK's 'write once, use many' architecture provides for automatic generation of both fully open and popular in-use formats that can be mixed to satisfy market requirements for PDK delivery.”

“The OpenPDK initiative is a very cost effective way to create standards for PDK structures to serve as a catalyst to drive greater efficiencies in the custom design arena,” says Sumit DasGupta, senior VP of Engineering, Si2. ”We have worked with the industry leaders identified as founding members to establish a base set of achievable requirements as well as longer-range plans to meet the needs of new technology nodes.”