System and method for integrated circuit design
First Claim
1. A system for generating optimised chip-planning solutions, including:
- a dynamic parallel genetic algorithm (DPGA) module adapted to receive a plurality of input parameters and to generate first-phase chip-planning solutions based on global searching and a multi-objective optimisation process; and
a linear programming (LP) module adapted to refine the first-phase chip-planning solutions based on local searching and a single-objective optimisation process to generate second-phase chip-planning solutions.
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Abstract
The invention relates to an IC chip-planning system and method to provide automatic creation and optimisation of chip-level design plan alternatives that can meet user-specific target chip area/design density, chip shape/aspect ratio, delay/timing closure, and/or congestion/routability objectives at each level of the design—architectural, RTL, gate, structural and physical levels. By combining global searching and local searching, a multi-objective optimisation process and a single-objective optimisation process, the invention can greatly reduce searching and optimisation time. Flexible system structure allows for generation of the optimised chip-planning solutions via an open optimisation train, a small optimisation loop, and/or a large optimisation loop.
With a function module to extract the topological relationship between blocks or gene structure from existing solutions whether from previous designs or manual designs, the invention may also successfully combine human experience and/or work with other EDA tools. A parallel system structure with redundancy elimination is preferably employed to attain high performance in the chip-planning. The invention has the potential to produce near optimal chip-planning solutions to meet the requirements for system-on-chip IC designs having more than 100 million gates and 1 GHz frequency.
24 Citations
42 Claims
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1. A system for generating optimised chip-planning solutions, including:
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a dynamic parallel genetic algorithm (DPGA) module adapted to receive a plurality of input parameters and to generate first-phase chip-planning solutions based on global searching and a multi-objective optimisation process; and
a linear programming (LP) module adapted to refine the first-phase chip-planning solutions based on local searching and a single-objective optimisation process to generate second-phase chip-planning solutions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of creating optimised chip-planning solutions, including the steps of:
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providing a plurality of input parameters for IC design;
executing a global searching and multi-objective optimisation process to generate first-phase chip-planning solutions; and
executing a local searching and single-objective optimisation process to refine the first-phase chip-planning solutions and generate second-phase chip-planning solutions. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A system for generating optimised chip-planning solutions, including:
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a dynamic parallel genetic algorithm (DPGA) module adapted to receive a plurality of input parameters and to generate first-phase chip-planning solutions based on global searching and a multi-objective optimisation process;
a linear programming (LP) module adapted to refine the first-phase chip-planning solutions based on local searching and a single-objective optimisation process to generate second-phase chip-planning solutions;
at least one optimisation loop by means of which the second-phase chip-planning solutions may be further refined;
an evaluation module for evaluating said second-phase chip-planning solutions to determine whether or not said second-phase chip-planning solutions should be further refined, and if so, by which optimisation loop; and
a structure extraction module adapted to extract solutions from other EDA tools or manual chip-planning and introduce them into the system. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41)
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42. A method of creating optimised chip-planning solutions, including the steps of:
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providing a plurality of input parameters for IC design;
executing a global searching and multi-objective optimisation process in a dynamic parallel genetic algorithm (DPGA) module to generate first-phase chip-planning solutions;
executing a local searching and single-objective optimisation process in a linear programming (LP) module to refine the first-phase chip-planning solutions and generate second-phase chip-planning solutions;
evaluating said second-phase chip-planning solutions to determine whether or not they should be further refined, said evaluating step being performed by an evaluation module;
providing a critical path/block analysis module to provide further optimisation rules to the LP module to refine said second-phase chip-planning solutions if further optimisation is needed;
said LP module, evaluation module and critical path/block analysis module together forming a small optimisation loop;
providing a structure extraction module to extract solutions from other EDA tools or manual chip-planning or to extract topological relationships between blocks or gene structures from the second-phase chip-planning solutions and re-direct them to the DPGA module if further optimisation is needed;
said DPGA, LP, evaluation and structure extraction modules together forming a large optimisation loop; and
if necessary, further refining the second-phase chip-planning solutions using at least one of said optimisation loops.
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Specification