SpringSoft, Magma validate full interoperability of custom chip design tools with TSMC 65nm iPDK

SAN JOSE, USA: SpringSoft Inc., a global supplier of specialized IC design software, and Magma Design Automation Inc., have completed cross-tool validation using TSMC’s 65nm interoperable process design kit (iPDK).

The companies demonstrated full interoperability between the SpringSoft Laker Custom Layout Automation System and Magma Titan Mixed-signal Design Platform running in the OpenAccess environment. This validation saves time and effort of setting up an interoperable flow and ensures consistent results.

Both SpringSoft and Magma are members of the Interoperable PDK Libraries Alliance (IPL) and validation collaborators on the TSMC 65nm iPDK. This latest initiative between the two companies is driven by their mutual commitment to interoperability and an open design community, enabling innovation in the custom chip market through greater manufacturing flexibility, more technology choice, and improved design productivity.

“SpringSoft and Magma have undertaken an important initiative to create and validate cross-vendor interoperability flows for custom chip design,” said Tom Quan, deputy director of design service marketing at TSMC. “This kind of collaboration instills confidence in the user community, accelerates the realization of faster cycle times, enhances design portability, and improves design quality that results from using our iPDK in production-proven, multi-vendor environments.”

Joint iPDK interoperability testing
The SpringSoft-Magma cross-tool validation builds on previous interoperability testing between TSMC and its iPDK development and validation partners, Ciranova, Magma, SpringSoft, and Synopsys.

Using TSMC 65nm iPDK test suite data, SpringSoft and Magma generated separate layout and design data, exchanged and modified the data, then verified that their respective results were identical. The testing covered key iPDK functionality areas to ensure that common features operate properly in both the Laker custom layout and Titan full-chip/mixed-signal design tools.

“To address the staggering complexity and shortened development cycles of today’s ICs, designers need an open flow. The TSMC iPDK facilitates open EDA design environments, eliminating the need for multiple proprietary PDKs, and enabling full reuse of design data between different custom IC design toolsets,” said Ashutosh Mauskar, vice president of product and business development for Magma’s Custom Design Business Unit.

“The validation of the interoperability of Titan and Laker with TSMC’s iPDK demonstrates both companies’ commitment to providing open and inclusive design environments that deliver silicon success.”

“While SpringSoft and Magma each bring different solutions to the custom IC design market, we share a common vision that interoperability drives innovation,” said Duncan McDonald, product marketing director for Laker Physical Design at SpringSoft.

“Innovation is the cornerstone of success for our customers, and iPDKs make it easier for them to get high quality, differentiating products to market faster using advanced design and manufacturing technologies. We hope that our collaboration with Magma is just the beginning of an industry-wide adoption of iPDKs by both vendors and users.”