Synopsys MVSIM Adopted for Low Power Verification of STw8500 Mobile SoC Platform

(Business News & Technology News, 3 Jul 2009)

Synopsys Inc. announced that ST-Ericsson has adopted Synopsys' MVSIM low power dynamic verification solution for its STw8500 system-on-chip (SoC) platform for the mobile phone market. ST-Ericsson selected MVSIM for its proven ability to comprehensively verify low power techniques, including standby and built-in automated low power assertions, which enable the early detection of bugs. The tool's extensive support for the IEEE 1801 [Unified Power Format (UPF)] power format, on which the STw8500 project team has standardized, was also a deciding factor.

"Mobile handset applications are driven by battery life, which necessitates the application of complex low power design techniques," said Francois Martin, director of the Wireless Multimedia Digital SoC's Business Unit at ST-Ericsson. "We chose MVSIM because of its ability to comprehensively verify the advanced low power techniques we employ for our wireless designs and detect bugs early in our design cycle."

The voltage-level aware simulation in MVSIM enables accurate verification of low power designs and improves bug detection. Its comprehensive set of built-in, automated low power assertions boost verification productivity. MVSIM, a core component of Synopsys' Eclypse Low Power Solution, is production-proven and works at the RTL and gate levels. MVSIM addresses complex low power verification challenges and enables customers to achieve their high-quality goals while meeting time-to-market constraints.

"The mobile phone market imposes some of the most stringent requirements on power and therefore demands the most advanced low power verification solution," said Swami Venkat senior director of functional verification marketing at Synopsys. "Synopsys continues to pioneer tools and methodologies to help address low power verification challenges, including the recent publication of the Verification Methodology Manual for Low Power (VMM-LP) book. ST-Ericsson's adoption of MVSIM confirms the tool's growing momentum in the mobile market segment."