Low power design is essential to emerging IC design. High performance computing (HPC) device suffers heat dispatching problem. Mobile device requires low stand-by power consuming. Power efficiency is also the key for various applications.

GUC low power methodology provides a complete solution, including in-design power shut off methodology, multiple supply voltage, dynamic voltage frequency scaling methodology, low power DFT and physical design, low voltage library characterization and signoff margin …etc, to help customer to provide a power competitive solution.

PowerMagic®

Design architecture exploration
  • Predictable multi-objective PPA (leakage vs. dynamic power) early exploration
  • Design activity driven, Vmin aware for memory and flip-flop concurrent configuration
Low voltage library characterization, customization
  • GUC re-K serve for N5/N7/N12/N16 and mature processes since 2007
  • Robust timing margin characterized for high variation at Vtgm condition
  • GUC proprietary low power library benefit average 20% power reduction
Power aware physical implementation
  • Data flow, PPA driven macro auto-placement
  • Activity driven logic restructuring and placement for power reductionand flip-flop concurrent configuration
  • Proprietary auto power switch stitch for ramp-up
Production of MSV/DVFS, and voltage binning
  • Robust STA sign-off for cross power domain variation and voltage binning
  • Robust CP/FT power integrity by co-sim with probe card / load board model
  • Production BKM for leakage in immature process

Low Voltage for Power Efficiency

Low Voltage Definition
  • Performance Degradation per Voltage Simulation
  • Leakage Reduction per Voltage Simulation
  • Acceptable Lowest Voltage Condition Simulation
Post-Layout Verification
  • Sign-off Customization Liberty re-K
  • Critical Path Simulation
  • Power Efficiency Analysis

成功案例

Process Gate Count Speed Application Key Feature
12nm 140M 800MHz AI Inference MTCMOS + MSV + Multi-VT
12nm 147M 2.2GHz Drone MSV + Multi-VT
16nm 100M 2GHz AP Testchip PSO/MTCMOS + Multi-VT + DVFS
16nm 30M 2GHz CPU PSO/MTCMOS + Multi-VT + MSV
22nm 13M 480MHz Multimedia MTCMOS
22nm 30M 600MHz Multimedia MSV MTCMOS
28nm 100M 1.5GHz Drone PSO/MTCMOS + Multi-VT + MSV
28nm 100M 700MHz SSD SoC PSO/MTCMOS + Multi-VT
28nm 30M 500MHz SSD SoC PSO/MTCMOS + Multi-VT + DVFS
28nm 6M 800MHz UFS Controller PSO + Multi-VT
28nm 50M 400MHz Digital Camera PSO/MTCMOS + Multi-VT
28nm 33M 1.6GHz Processor PSO/MTCMOS + Multi-VT
40nm 5M 300MHz Camcorder PSO + Multi-VT + Customized IO
65nm 8M 300MHz Cell Phone PSO + Multi-VT + DVFS + Data Retention