TSMC Becomes First Foundry Member of IPL Alliance
The Interoperable PDK Libraries (IPL) Alliance announced that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has joined the Alliance as the first foundry member. The IPL Alliance is an industry-wide collaborative effort to create and promote interoperable process design kit (PDK) standards. A PDK is a comprehensive set of foundry-verified data files including PCells (parameterized cells) used in a complete analog and mixed signal design flow. The standardization of PDKs and design flows benefit analog and custom IC designers by removing bottlenecks in multiple-vendor flows. Currently, each foundry is creating specialized PDKs for different EDA vendors and tools. Standardization can reduce PDK development cost and schedule, providing designers quicker access to new advanced process technologies.
“TSMC is committed to an interoperable PDK format that maintains design accuracy throughout the custom design cycle,” said S.T. Juang, senior director of design infrastructure marketing, TSMC. “An interoperable standard promotes reuse and reduces PDK development cost. It also promotes open innovation, enables customization and improves productivity and efficiency. As an IPL Alliance member, we look forward to participating in the advancement of PDK standards.”
“Developing effective PDK interoperability standards requires the collaboration of both EDA tools suppliers and PDK suppliers,” said Rich Goldman, vice president of corporate marketing and strategic market development at Synopsys, one of the IPL Alliance founding members. “The addition of TSMC, one of the industry’s largest suppliers of high quality PDKs, to the IPL Alliance will help accelerate the development and implementation of standards.”
The IPL Alliance will present its latest update at the 45th Design Automation Conference (DAC) in Anaheim California from June 8 to June 13. An IPL Lunch Workshop is scheduled for Monday, June 9, from 12 noon to 1:30pm. This lunch workshop will cover the challenges, features and roadmap of the IPL Alliance with presenters from TSMC. IPL will also be featured at Synopsys Interoperability Breakfast on Wednesday, June 11, from 7:30am to 9:30am. The IPL Alliance demo suite is located in the Synopsys Standards Booth #1541. Please visit the IPL Web site to register for IPL DAC events. For more information about the IPL Alliance and its activities, please contact Jingwen Yuan, IPL Alliance, at info@iplnow.com
About IPL Alliance
The IPL (Interoperable PDK Libraries) Alliance is an industry wide collaborative effort to create and promote interoperable process design kit (PDK) standards. Since its inception in April 2007, the IPL Alliance has made tremendous progress in solving PCell interoperability. A free IPL reference library and an online interoperability demonstration are available for download , the IPL Alliance web site. An IPL ecosystem has been established to validate PCell interoperability within all members’ tools. The IPL Alliance has formed three technical working groups for Properties and Parameters, PCells and Constraints expanded its charters to address broader interoperability issues with foundry PDKs and design flows. IPL Alliance members include Applied Wave Research (AWR), Ciranova, Helic, JEDAT, Magma Design Automation, Micro Magic, SpringSoft, Silicon Navigator, Synopsys, TSMC and Virage Logic. Mentor Graphics and Pulsic are supporting members.
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