Numetrics releases next gen IC design complexity calculation engine

CUPERTINO, USA: Numetrics, the leading provider of fact-based resource and schedule estimation tools for semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) development projects, today unveiled its next generation IC design complexity calculation engine, which has been significantly enhanced for analog, mixed-signal (AMS) and RF circuit designs.

The engine’s advanced AMS and RF estimation models complement its existing capabilities, which include complexity modeling of system-on-chip (SoC), microprocessor, microcontroller, ASSP and ASIC designs.

The new release enables engineering managers overseeing AMS/RF designs to create project staffing and schedule estimates that are far more accurate than projections based solely on intuition and traditional approaches – in a fraction of the time.

“We’re pleased to have implemented this critically important capability for our AMS and RF customers,” said Ronald Collett, Numetrics’ president & CEO. “This is an example of how our complexity calculation technology has continuously advanced during the past ten years. It’s now in its 9th generation and has been applied to over 2,000 production IC projects from more than 50 semiconductor and electronics companies.”

With its enhanced capabilities, including over 100 new parameters influencing AMS/RF design complexity, the solution comprises a library of nearly 60 widely used AMS/RF block functions, such as amplifiers, phase lock loops and filters. Each comprises function-dependent parameters that modulate the complexity estimate.

With the technology, users are able to rigorously quantify and compare the complexity of a new design to their prior projects and industry norms, a cornerstone of fact-based planning. It also enables engineering managers to accurately benchmark the execution assumptions in their project plans, which boosts schedule predictability and development productivity.

The new complexity calculation engine is embedded in the NMX-ERP tool suite, which includes IC Project Planner, IC Schedule Risk Analyzer, IC Metrics Tracker, IC DataMiner, Multi-project Pipeliner and the IC Industry Benchmarking Database.