SpringSoft Unveils Automated Custom Digital IC Place and Route Tools
By: Gabe Moretti
Gabeoneda.com
SpringSoft, Inc. introduced two new products aimed at addressing the increasing challenge of designing custom chips that contain both analog and digital circuitry. The company unveiled its Laker Custom Row Placer and Laker Custom Digital Router. The tools are fully compatible with the Laker Custom Layout Automation System, allowing designers to work within a single custom IC layout environment to efficiently place-and-route both digital custom cells and standard cells for either mixed-signal or custom digital designs.
As with the existing Laker system, the new tools are fully compliant with the industry-standard OpenAccess (OA) database, providing an interoperable platform for designers to develop heterogeneous tool environments for their complete custom IC design flow. The new place-and route solutions are tuned for custom IC layout with custom digital and mixed-signal blocks, eliminating the need for hand-layout or exporting design data to a traditional digital place-and-route tool. The solutions also allow the design of custom digital blocks to meet the critical size and power requirements.
