SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EMPLOYING SIGNOFF-QUALITY TIMING ANALYSIS INFORMATION CONCURRENTLY IN MULTIPLE SCENARIOS TO REDUCE DYNAMIC POWER IN AN ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT AND AN APPARATUS INCORPORATING THE SAME

• US 20120221995A1
• Filed: 02/24/2011
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zahn, Bruce, Parker, James C., Mbouombouo, Benjamin
• Granted Patent: US 8,713,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 716/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/06 Power analysis or power optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/12 Timing analysis or timing optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/327 Logic synthesis; Behaviour synthesis, e.g. mapping logic, HDL to netlist, high-level language to RTL or netlist

Abstract

A dynamic power recovery system and method are disclosed herein. Additionally, an EDA tool and apparatus configured to perform dynamic power recovery are disclosed. In one embodiment, the system includes: (1) a power recovery module configured to carry out an instance of an initial power recovery process in each of multiple scenarios concurrently, the initial power recovery process including making first conditional downsizing of cells in at least one path in a circuit design with lower dynamic power cells and estimating a delay and a slack of the at least one path based on the first conditional downsizings and (2) a speed recovery module associated with the power recovery module and configured to carry out a speed recovery process in each of the multiple scenarios concurrently, the speed recovery process including determining whether the first conditional downsizings cause a timing violation with respect to the at least one path and making second conditional upsizings with higher dynamic power cells until the timing violation is removed.

Claims

1. A dynamic power recovery system, comprising:

a power recovery module configured to carry out an instance of an initial power recovery process in each of multiple scenarios concurrently, said initial power recovery process including making first conditional downsizing of cells in at least one path in a circuit design with lower dynamic power cells and estimating a delay and a slack of said at least one path based on said first conditional downsizings; and

a speed recovery module associated with said power recovery module and configured to carry out a speed recovery process in each of said multiple scenarios concurrently, said speed recovery process including determining whether said first conditional downsizings cause a timing violation with respect to said at least one path and making second conditional upsizings with higher dynamic power cells until said timing violation is removed.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said initial power recovery module and said speed recovery module are configured to perform during a timing signoff environment for said circuit design.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said lower dynamic power cells have a smaller footprint than said cells first conditionally downsized.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said lower dynamic power cells have an internal capacitance that is less than an internal capacitance of said cells first conditionally downsized.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said initial power recovery process further includes exempting clock network cells and cells having transition or capacitance violations from said first conditional upsizing.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said speed recovery process further includes making said second conditional upsizings with respect to a minimum number of said cells to repair said timing violation.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said initial power recovery process further includes making said first conditional downsizings on paths of said circuit design having a positive timing margin.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said speed recovery process further includes employing crosstalk aggression as a cost factor in making said second conditional upsizings.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said multiple scenarios are multiple PVT corners of said circuit design.

10. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said circuit design is an integrated circuit design.

11. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said initial power recovery module and said speed recovery module are embodied in program code stored on a computer-readable medium.

12. A dynamic power recovery method carried out in each of multiple scenarios concurrently, comprising:

making first conditional downsizing of cells in at least one path in a circuit design with lower dynamic power cells;

estimating a delay and a slack of said at least one path based on said first conditional downsizing;

determining whether said first conditional downsizings cause a timing violation with respect to said at least one path;

making second conditional upsizings with higher dynamic power cells until said timing violation is removed; and

merging and applying said downsizings and upsizings and updating timing with respect to said each of said multiple scenarios.

13. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein said method is carried out in a timing signoff environment of said circuit design.

14. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein said lower dynamic power cells have a smaller footprint than said cells first conditionally downsized.

15. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein said lower dynamic power cells have an internal capacitance that is less than an internal capacitance of said cells first conditionally downsized.

16. The method as recited in claim 12 further comprising exempting clock network cells and cells having transition or capacitance violations from said first conditional downsizing.

17. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein said making said second conditional upsizings comprises making said second conditional upsizings with respect to a minimum number of said cells to repair said timing violation.

18. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein said making said first conditional downsizings is performed on paths of said circuit design having a positive timing margin.

19. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein said making said second conditional upsizings comprises employing crosstalk aggression as a cost factor.

20. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein said multiple scenarios are multiple PVT corners of said circuit design.

21. An electronic design automation tool, comprising:

an initial power recovery module configured to identify cells in positive timing margin paths of a circuit design and provide downsized cells for said cells that have a lower dynamic power thereof, said cells complying with a timing signoff of said circuit design; and

a speed recovery module configured to determine timing violations caused by employing said downsized cells for said cells and upsize back a minimum amount of said downsized cells to correct said timing violations.

22. An apparatus, comprising:

circuitry for making first conditional downsizing of cells in at least one path in a circuit design with lower dynamic power cells;

circuitry for estimating a delay and a slack of said at least one path based on said first conditional downsizing;

circuitry for determining whether said first conditional downsizings cause a timing violation with respect to said at least one path;

circuitry for making second conditional upsizings with higher dynamic power cells until said timing violation is removed; and

circuitry for merging and applying said downsizings and upsizings and updating timing with respect to said each of said multiple scenarios.