Global silicon design tool vendor Synopsys is using Picochip in Bath as a key example of leading edge chip design. Picochip used the Lynx Design System and Galaxy Implementation Platform from Synopsys for the design of its 40nm PC3008 picoXcell femtocell chip optimised for high-volume, cost-sensitive consumer applications.

The Lynx Design System enabled Picochip’s engineering team in Bath to quickly and efficiently upgrade to a pre-tested 40nm Galaxy-based production design flow, saving significant time and effort compared to developing their own flow. In addition, Lynx’s Foundry-Ready System enabled Picochip’s engineers to begin design work within two weeks of initial deployment, accelerating their project start date by an estimated eight weeks.

“In the mobile communications market, each product generation requires higher performance and functionality at a lower cost. For Picochip to deliver this, it is essential that we are able to migrate process technololgies quickly and easily,” said Will Robbins, vice president of silicon at Picochip. “Synopsys’ Lynx gave us a robust Galaxy-based RTL-to-GDSII design flow, which we could configure to our specific technology needs. This gave us a head start over simply having a set of tools with which to build a design flow. It allowed us to tape out our first 40nm chip, whilst saving us months of R&D effort.”

The PC3008 is the first in a family of devices that support the higher performance HSPA+ wireless broadband standard, delivering a low bill of material cost silicon device. It supports eight users with Release 9 HSPA+ (21Mbps downlink, 5Mbps uplink), incorporating Picochip’s field-proven robust PHY and a 1GHz ARM11 processor with TrustZone.

The Lynx Design System includes a production-proven design flow enabled by Galaxy tools with innovative visualisation capabilities to help create and track designs throughout the implementation cycle. Using Lynx, Picochip’s engineers were able to immediately focus on optimising the new design to meet both their 1GHz performance target and aggressive development cycle.

“The Lynx Design System offers tangible benefits for design teams looking to reduce the cost and risk of migrating to new technology processes,” said John Koeter, vice president of marketing for IP and systems at Synopsys. “By enabling designers to implement chips more efficiently without sacrificing quality of results, and attacking total cost of design through systematic design flow management, leading design companies like Picochip are able to focus on what they do best – delivering differentiated design solutions in a competitive marketplace.”

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