Semico Research and Algotochip collaborate on design methodology research

USA: Algotochip, specialists in converting C models of algorithms directly to a complete SoC silicon IP, announced the availability of a research report from Semico Research that states the researchers belief “that the Algotochip design methodology offers a very good alternative to the current SoC design flows employed today.”

The semiconductor industry today is faced with several substantial issues—not the least of which are the continuing rise in design costs for SoCs (System-on-a-Chip), the decrease in the incidence of 1st time effort designs and the increase in the design cycle time against shrinking market windows and decreasing product lifetimes.

An additional factor has now been added to SoC design costs with the emergence of the very complicated software applications intended to run on the SoC silicon. The costs of the software effort have outstripped the silicon design costs and have become the major part of the cost in most of these designs.

Although these problems may seem insurmountable, Semico believes that the Algotochip design methodology offers a very suitable alternative to the current SoC design flows employed today.

“Not only is Algotochip able to make the silicon design effort more efficient by reducing design cycle times and design costs,” said Richard Warzyniak, senior analyst. “Their design approach can offer customers the opportunity to have more designs completed in less time and for less money than competing alternatives.”

“Algotochip guarantees that its SoC meets all the performance specifications made by the customer, and insures that it will be first time right,” said Didier Boivin, VP marketing, Algotochip. “Given the increasingly complex nature of SoC designs, this guarantee means companies can deliver products more quickly and less expensively than previously thought possible.”

The report addresses several of the interrelated issues that impact SoC designs. Topics covered include how economic turmoil, raising design costs and unpredictable demand inhibit a company’s ability to deploy the latest innovations.