Mastering AI Chip Complexity
Explore challenges and solutions in AI chip development
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Overview
Achronix Semiconductor Corporation is a fabless semiconductor corporation based in Santa Clara, California, offering high-end FPGA-based data acceleration solutions designed to address high-performance, compute-intensive, and real-time processing applications.
Achronix is the only supplier to have both high-performance, high-density standalone FPGAs and licensed eFPGA IP solutions. Their products, including the Speedster?7t FPGA and Speedcore? eFPGA IP, are further enhanced by ready-to-use VectorPath? accelerator cards targeting AI, machine learning, networking, and data center applications. All Achronix products are fully supported by the Achronix Tool Suite, enabling customers to quickly develop their own custom applications.
"Synopsys Cloud has helped us reimagine how we plan and execute SoC design projects on cloud. With the ability to deliver complete designs at a much quicker pace, we can optimize future roadmap schedules for improved verification and higher quality designs ahead of schedule."
Chris Pelosi
|Vice President, Hardware Engineering, Achronix
"We wanted a scalable, secure, and reliable cloud-based design environment that we could leverage along with our existing on-premise environment. Synopsys Cloud provided us with complete flexibility and scalability to leverage cloud for EDA tools and infrastructure when needed."
Chris Pelosi
|Vice President, Hardware Engineering, Achronix
"With unlimited, on-demand licenses of Synopsys IC Validator? running on Synopsys Cloud, our full-chip SoC physical verification got completed in 16 hours instead of 80 hours."
Chris Pelosi
|Vice President, Hardware Engineering, Achronix
"We ran physical verification for our entire SoC and got results 5x faster. Combined with the reduction in license server management overhead, we are able to focus on improving the quality of the design and meeting project schedules."
Chris Pelosi
|Vice President, Hardware Engineering, Achronix
Challenges
Achronix faced multiple challenges that necessitated the adoption of a scalable cloud-based design environment:
- Aging Compute Resources: Infrastructure scalability limitations and resource constraints created longer design cycles and time to results.
- License Constraints: EDA licenses were not scalable and not available on demand.
- License Management Overhead: Lost time and productivity in managing and scaling license servers.
Solution
Synopsys Cloud provided a comprehensive solution for Achronix:
- EDA Software and Compute Resources: Access to the latest compute resources through a seamless browser-based environment.
- Automated License Server Management: Complete automated license server management and scalability.
- FlexEDA Pay-Per-Use Model: Provided unlimited, on-demand licenses of Synopsys IC Validator? for full-chip physical verification.
Results
The implementation of Synopsys Cloud yielded remarkable results for Achronix:
- Production Environment: The new system was up and running in just 15 hours.
- Time to Results: Full-chip physical verification was completed 5x faster compared to the on-premise setup, thanks to the unlimited, on-demand FlexEDA licensing model and access to the latest compute resources.
- Shift Left: Faster results enabled more iterations, allowing issues to be discovered and fixed early in the design process.
- Enhanced Productivity: On-demand access to advanced compute resources and the entire portfolio of Synopsys EDA tools improved overall productivity.
- Reduced Overhead: The reduction in license server management overhead allowed the team to focus more on improving design quality and meeting project schedules.
These results underscore the transformative impact of Synopsys Cloud on Achronix's design and development processes, enabling them to achieve faster, more efficient outcomes and maintain their competitive edge in the semiconductor industry.
