Steve Pateras Synopsys has a conversation with Dan Hutcheson about Silicon Lifecycle Management.
Semiconductor EDA was once a fire-and-forget technology, where IC designers strived to get a new chip design past first silicon so they could move on to the next application. IC’s often played a hidden role – once they exited the wafer fab and were packaged and tested – until they failed and the electronics were tossed. But the role of ICs in our lives has grown as devices have become smart and we’ve come to rely on them more. ICs that fail, or work in a diminished capacity, can cause lost productivity or worse, pose a safety threat. Whenever you get into a plane and automobile, your safety relies on fully functioning ICs. In the past, this was hit or miss. Now, EDA companies are taking on the task of managing a chip through its lifecycle from fab to the system to the trash bin using on-chip monitors and sensors to optimize all phases of the silicon lifecycle. Synopsys recently introduced its SLM platform (Silicon Lifecycle Management) to address this. We find out how it works and where it’s going to be used.