Altos adopts Concept Engineering’s Nlview visualization engine

DAC 2010, FREIBURG, GERMANY: Concept Engineering announced that Altos Design Automation has signed a worldwide licensing agreement to integrate and use Concept Engineering’s Nlview visualization engine to power its new generation debug and process control graphical cockpit.

Altos provides ultra-fast, fully-automated characterization technology for the creation of library views to address key nanometer challenges such as low power, timing, yield and process variation. Nlview, coupled with Concept Engineering’s T-engine option for automatic transistor-level schematic generation, will give Altos a high-performance, high-capacity GUI that provides very detailed visual feedback about critical circuit attributes discovered by the Altos characterization engine.

"Concept's schematic visualization engine gives designers compelling visibility, improved control, and easier validation of the characterization process, especially for large macro blocks,” said Jim McCanny, CEO of Altos Design Automation.

By automatically generating easy-to-read transistor-level schematics and transistor-schematic fragments, Nlview and T-engine give design engineers quick and detailed feedback about and control over the cells and complex macro blocks that are running through the Altos characterization engine.

Cross-probing between schematic diagrams and other design views makes it easy to understand and fine-tune characterization, and to more quickly locate and optimize important circuit attributes in cells and macros. In addition, the GUI allows comfortable monitoring and control of the ongoing characterization process.

"Automated characterization for cells, macro blocks and memory has become a critically important element of chip design," said Gerhard Angst, CEO and president of Concept Engineering. "It gives us great pride to be working with the Altos Design Automation team to improve this area of design."