A cooperative universal data model platform for the data-centric electronic system-level design
Advanced Engineering Informatics
| Hi-index | 0.00 |
The nature of IC design has is necessarily evolving toa more data-centric design flow in which EDA tools sharea common information in a design database without thenegative cost and quality impacts of data translation fromsequential files. In support of this new paradigm, acollection of mainstream companies within the IC supplychain have sponsored the development of an openindustry data model and application program interfacefor IC design tools, along with a database that fullyimplements this. This technology, called OpenAccess, isnow available and being adopted by the IC designcommunity.Another industry effort is in operation with the goalof greatly improving the cost and efficiency for ICphotomasks. That effort is exploring a new paradigmsimilar in nature to OpenAccess in that a common datamodel and data access language is proposed. This datamodel would span both the design and mask-makingcommunities, and possibly expand into wafer fabricationover time. Thus, it has become known as the UniversalData Model (UDM).This paper discusses some of the rationale for theUDM and highlights the attributes of the OpenAccesstechnology that make it the ideal base on which to buildan open industry UDM.