Changes In Mixed-Signal IC Verification

Changes In Mixed-Signal IC Verification

by Semiconductor Engineering

Applied Sciences & Engineering Engineering & Technology TJFElectronics engineeringTJFCElectronics: circuits and components
🎙 Semiconductor Engineering 👥 30K 📅 November 19, 2025 ⏱ 11 min 👁 1K 📄 expert opinion 🧭 2026-08-16
Available in: English (current) Français

Keywords

mixed-signalverificationreal number modelingchipletEDA

Summary

In this interview, Ed Sperling of Semiconductor Engineering discusses with Shekar Chetput, a software engineering group director at Cadence, the evolving challenges and methodologies in mixed-signal IC verification. As analog and digital content converge in advanced SoCs and multi-die assemblies, traditional verification approaches are becoming inadequate. Analog engineers, who historically relied on waveform inspection and Spice simulations, now face integration issues when their blocks are used in larger systems. Digital engineers, on the other hand, often blackbox analog blocks, leading to inaccuracies. The conversation highlights the emergence of real number modeling (RNM) as a key methodology that allows analog blocks to run at digital simulation speeds while retaining accuracy. This approach serves as a common ‘currency’ between analog and digital design teams, enabling more effective collaboration and verification. The speakers note that this trend is driven by the discovery of new types of bugs, particularly those involving feedback between analog and digital domains, which are critical in applications like automotive and medical devices. They estimate that about 20% of engineers in each domain are adopting these new methodologies, and the shift has been gaining momentum over the past 3-5 years. The interview underscores the need for both analog and digital engineers to ’level up’ and embrace a more holistic verification approach to achieve first-silicon success.

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Critical Evaluation

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The video provides valuable insights into the current state and future direction of mixed-signal verification. It clearly articulates the challenges arising from the integration of analog and digital components, and presents real number modeling as a practical solution. The argumentation is coherent, with the speaker drawing on industry experience to support claims about the benefits of RNM, such as improved bug detection and model reusability. However, the discussion remains at a high level, lacking concrete examples or quantitative data to substantiate the assertions. The value lies in its role as an expert opinion piece that highlights industry trends and encourages adoption of new methodologies.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The video is an interview with an industry expert from Cadence, a leading EDA company, which lends credibility to the content. However, no specific sources or references are cited within the video, and the description provides no additional links. The title accurately reflects the content, focusing on changes in mixed-signal verification. The discussion is consistent with known industry trends, but the lack of external references limits the ability to verify specific claims. The speaker’s authority and the reputation of the channel contribute to the overall reliability, but the absence of detailed technical depth and citations means the content should be considered as expert opinion rather than rigorously sourced information.

228 words

Title / Content Match

The title accurately reflects the content, which focuses on changes in mixed-signal verification practices.

Quality & Reliability

7/10

The video features an expert from Cadence discussing industry trends and methodologies. It is informative but lacks detailed technical depth and external references, relying on the speaker's authority.

Key Moments

Markers derived by PSI from the transcript: the creator did not define chapters.

Contribution & Novelties

The video provides an expert perspective on the evolving field of mixed-signal verification, highlighting the shift towards real number modeling as a key methodology. It offers a clear explanation of the challenges and potential solutions, making it a useful resource for engineers and researchers. The discussion emphasizes the need for collaboration between analog and digital design teams and the importance of adopting new verification approaches.

Pour aller plus loin :

  • Real number modeling in mixed-signal verification — Provides a general overview of the concept.
  • SystemVerilog — The language used for digital verification, relevant to the discussion.
  • Unified Power Format (UPF) — A standard for low-power design, mentioned in the video.

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Radar Profile

The radar profile shows a balanced performance across all dimensions, with slightly higher scores in information quantity and quality, and lower in technical depth. This suggests the video is informative and reliable but may not delve deeply into technical specifics.

Reliability 7/10