Spectre StatAI Analysis

AI-enabled variation analysis for 3 to 6+ sigma yield requirements

Cadence Spectre StatAI Analysis performs AI-enabled fast and comprehensive variation analysis using Monte Carlo simulations of complex I/Os, analog/mixed-signal (AMS) and RF blocks, memories, and bit and standard cells while maintaining necessary statistical accuracy. Spectre StatAI Analysis is available in the Spectre X Simulator, Spectre FX Simulator, Spectre RF Option, and Spectre AMS Designer and allows you to distribute Monte Carlo simulation workloads across compute farms to increase verification throughput.

Spectre Simulation Platform

As the industry’s leading solution for balancing high-performance and high-capacity needs with analog accuracy, the Spectre Simulation Platform encompasses multiple engines that let you move quickly and seamlessly between circuit-, block-, and system-level simulation and verification tasks. The platform's foundation is a unified set of technologies shared by all the simulators—the parser, device models, Verilog-A behavioral modeling, input data formats, output data formats, etc.—ensuring consistent and accurate results regardless of the simulator selected.

The Spectre X Simulator delivers best-in-class single-core simulation and solves large-scale verification simulation challenges with up to 10X speed and 5X capacity improvements, as well as scalable and massively parallel simulation for cloud computing.

The Spectre FX Simulator uses a groundbreaking architecture that employs innovative FastSPICE techniques, including advanced partitioning and RC reduction algorithms, to deliver up to 3X performance with equal or better accuracy versus the latest FastSPICE products.

Spectre RF Option extends the Spectre X Simulator into the high-performance simulation of linear and non-linear RF circuits.

The complete portfolio is rounded out by Spectre AMS Designer, Cadence’s mixed-signal, mixed-language, mixed-level, functional, behavioral, gate-level, and transistor-level simulator.

In addition to individual engines, Spectre simulation technology is well integrated into other Cadence technology platforms, including Xcelium Logic Simulation, Liberate Trio Characterization Suite, Legato Reliability Solution, Virtuoso ADE Suite, Voltus-XFi Custom Power Integrity Solution, and the Virtuoso RF Solution, to provide the industry’s most comprehensive cross-domain simulation solution.

Spectre Simulation Platform
Figure 1: Spectre Simulation Platform

Spectre StatAI Analysis

Spectre StatAI Analysis uses AI-enhanced algorithms to make complete design space exploration possible, so you can meet your yield targets. Achieve the right statistical accuracy to ensure designs work on manufactured wafers, with a practical number of Monte Carlo simulations.

You can run the tool from the command line or from the Virtuoso ADE Suite to verify complex I/Os, AMS and RF blocks, and memories. The Virtuoso ADE Suite can also be leveraged for distributed processing of Monte Carlo simulations across a compute farm or cloud.

Spectre StatAI Analysis also is available with Liberate Trio Characterization Suite for characterizing bit and standard cells, memories, and macros, and Tempus Timing Solution for static timing analysis (STA).

It is an integral part of the Spectre Simulation Platform and is built on the same infrastructure technology as all members of the Spectre family of simulators.

Benefits

Explore and debug worst-case design failures. Meet 3 to 6+ sigma yield requirements across multiple process, voltage, and temperature corners and design variables, avoiding expensive design rework.

  • Accuracy and performance
    • 10X-10000X speedup compared to traditional brute-force Monte Carlo analysis
    • Balances statistical accuracy and verification throughput using AI-enhanced estimations of worst-case samples and yield
  • Support for multiple use-models and flows

    Spectre StatAI Analysis supports a variety of applications through multiple use models and flows for variation analysis on I/Os, AMS and RF blocks, memories, and bit and standard cells.

    • Netlist-based command-line flow
    • Virtuoso ADE Suite
    • Liberate Trio Characterization Suite
    • Tempus Timing Solution
  • Ease of Use and Debugging

    Spectre StatAI Analysis’s AI-enhanced capabilities enable fast exploration and learning of a very large sample space. This allows the designers to quickly identify the worst-case samples and design failures.

    • Tight integration with Virtuoso ADE Suite for easy-to-use debugging, such as viewing consolidated results, waveform analysis, and post-processing
    • Sigma sweep captures circuit functionality trends from 3 to 6+ sigma
    • Quick estimation of distribution moments
    • Effectively handles fixed simulation budget and reuses the AI model to do incremental design space exploration
    • Provides device-level top-mismatch contributors and performs sensitivity analysis of statistical parameters
  • Scalability

    Spectre StatAI Analysis offers increased scalability through massively parallel distributed processing, scaling up to thousands of cores in a compute farm or the cloud. This enables large sample space exploration to be even more efficient. Distributed processing can be done with both command line and Virtuoso ADE Suite use models.

In summary, Spectre StatAI Analysis achieves high-yield verification and meets high-sigma variation analysis requirements faster without compromising accuracy.

Features

  • High-sigma Monte Carlo analysis
    • Applicable to 3 to 6+ sigma requirements, includes memory/bit/standard cells, analog, RF, and I/O blocks
  • Yield estimation
    • Determines circuit yield with a fixed user-defined simulation cost
    • Quick estimate of yield of the design before running fine-tuned analysis of the worst-case failures
  • Debugging and post-processing features
    • Comprehensive exploration of worst-case corners/samples
    • Contribution report on circuit parameters
    • Statistical moments
  • Integration with Liberate Trio Characterization Suite and Tempus Timing Solution
  • Supports command line and Virtuoso ADE Suite use models
  • Scalable to thousands of cores across compute farm and cloud infrastructure
  • Incremental simulation runs for efficient results analysis
  • Sigma sweep to help designer capture circuit functionality trends from 3 to 6+ sigma

Specifications

  • Input formats
    • Spectre, SPICE netlist formats
    • Verilog-A 2.0
    • DSPF/SPF/DPF parasitic formats
    • Tcl scripts
    • Digital vector and VCD files
  • Output formats
    • PSF and FSDB waveform formats
  • Device models
    • Same as supported by the Spectre platform
  • Platforms
    • Build OS: RHEL 7.4
    • Supported OS: RHEL 8, RHEL 7 (>=RHEL 7.4), SLES 12

Cadence Services and Support

  • Cadence application engineers can answer your technical questions by telephone, email, or internet – they can also provide technical assistance and custom training.
  • Cadence-certified instructors teach more than 70 courses and bring their real-world experience into the classroom.
  • More than 25 Internet Learning Series (iLS) online courses allow you the flexibility of training at your own computer via the internet.
  • Cadence Online Support gives you 24x7 online access to a knowledgebase of the latest solutions, technical documentation, software downloads, and more.
  • For more information, please visit support and training.