Name:Siddharth Jha and have 2 Years of experience in logic IC design:

1. What logic IC design software/IDE do you use frequently and what is the RTL
language you use?
ANS:
This includes using many industry-standard tools for IC design fairly often. For
synthesis and implementation, I use Synopsys Design Compiler for RTL level design
and Cadence Innovus for physical design. I use Mentor Graphics ModelSim and
Synopsys VCS for simulation and verification. Although I am familiar with VHDL as
well, my language of choice for RTL is Verilog.

2. Using an example of a recently successfully completed logic ICs design project, can
you describe your typical workflow? What is the most time consuming part?
ANS:
A while back, I finished working on a not-so-simple project to design an interface
intended for high-speed data communications. The standard workflow for this project
went like:

Requirements Gathering: Worked closely with stakeholders to grasp functional and

performance requirements.

Detail Design Specification: Developed detailed design specifications with block

diagrams and functional descriptions

Coding: According to the design specs, I wrote the RTL code in Verilog.

Simulation: Simulated the design using ModelSim to check its functionality.

Synthesis: Synthesized the design on Xilinx Vivado with optimized for speed and
area.

Implementation: The design was implemented on an FPGA for quick validation.

Verification: Design best test benches and performed simulations for checking the
functionality of design in various scenarios.

And the verification phase took the longest time. This entailed a fair amount of work
to develop and refine the test benches so every possible edge case was covered.
Having strong coverage to catch issues early on in the design cycle is important, but
it requires a lot of careful checking and significant simulation time.
3. Please describe your RTL code debugging process. What are the specific pain
points in this process? What is the most time-consuming part?
ANS: RTL Code Debugging Process:

 Code Review: This is the first step of quality assurance where I do a

complete code review to check for any syntax error or logical errors.

 Simulation: Running simulation on test bench to check the working of code.

This makes sure that it identifies any discrepancies between what we
expected and actual.

 Waveform Analysis: Analyze waveforms using tools like GTKWave or

ModelSim to locate the point where issues arise.

 Log Review - I look at some of the logs while sim is running to detect errors
and warnings which might represent problems.

 Iterative debugging: Based on the results obtained in simulations I modify

my RTL code and simulate again. Repeat until all issue is fixed!

Pain Points: Except timing issues and some logic bugs which only happen
under certain conditions that makes the debugging comb through massive code
bases. The reason being, timing issues often demand a meticulous study of the
reports and waveform dignostics.

Most time consuming: It is the iteration of debugging solutions, modifying code

and re-running simulations that tends to take most time. For complex designs,
each cycle could be lengthy.

4. In the test/verification process, what are the specific issues/pain points in this
process? What is the most time-consuming part?
ANS:
Issues/Pain Points:
 Gaps coverage: What can be challenging is to ensure that all parts of the
design are sufficiently tested. High coverage metrics are achieved by writing
many test cases and scenarios.

 Complex Test benches: Designing test benches that can thoroughly test the
behavior of a design under specified conditions is not an easy task.
  Long Simulation Times: The simulation of large designs can lead to long
simulation times, thus slowing down the design verification process. Most
Time Consuming Part: Writing test cases failing at scenarios challenging to
cover thoroughly and debugging failing test cases usually takes much time
during test development. A complex test bench doesn't help, either; it will
need much time for writing and maintaining.

5. Use an example to show how you can increase the efficiency of the test/verification
process?
ANS: Constrained-Random Verification and UVM

In my project with a high-speed communication controller under development, I do

constrained-random verification at the verification environment level using the
Universal Verification Methodology (UVM). By defining constraints, I was able to
automatically generate large numbers of test cases covering various cases instead
of writing the test cases one by one manually.

Efficiency Gains:

 Automated Generation of Test Cases: Reduced the time to write individual

test cases.
 Enhanced coverage: A better functional coverage was achieved by covering
more scenarios.
 Reusable components: Tools I used in the project that are available for
reuse in future projects will let the efficiency factor continually blossom.

6. Have you used any AI or machine learning integration with your logic IC design tools
before? If so, what was your experience (helpful or not)?
ANS:
I have explored AI-based tools like Cadence Cerebrus for automated RTL
optimization. It worked pretty well since these tools help in optimizations not directly
perceived, hence helping reduce synthesis time, and also help in suggesting such
optimizations leading to better performance and areas. For instance, through artificial
intelligence techniques, synthesis tools have been introduced that automatically
identify optimizations at the bottom of the traditional place-and-route stage that lead
to critical path delay reductions of 40% to 70%. Yet, there's a learning curve applied
in the AI models to be effective with our design flow. Overall, AI integration within the
design process has indicated its potential to increase productivity and optimize
design performance.
7. What features would you wish to see integrated into your logic IC design
software/IDE to make your tasks easier or more efficient?
ANS:
I would like to see these features integrated in my logic IC design software/IDE:

Advanced Debugging Tools: Improved visibility with easy-to-understand signal

waveform visualization and AI-powered error diagnosis that can pinpoint the exact
cause for the problem.
Formal Verification Integration: Support built in for formal verification techniques
that ensure the correctness of the design early in the development process.
Automated Test bench Generation tools are designed to automatically generate test
benches from design specifications to save time and ensure comprehensive
coverage.
Real-time Collaboration Features: Team members can collaborate on complex
designs quickly and without the least hassle and problems within a real-time working
space.

8. Can you share an example where you felt your current logic IC design software/IDE
limited your ability to execute RTL code debugging or test/verification process?
ANS:
There was one time when not having better-advanced timing analysis tools within my
IDE made it hard to debug and optimize timing paths. This delayed the timing
violation pinpointing and fixing, lengthening the iterations and overall project timeline.
Such an enhanced timing analysis tool, intuitively visual in showing with
autosuggested actions, would save much time in debugging and, thus, development
time for the actual project.

9. How important is collaboration in your RTL code debugging or test/verification

process, and what tools do you use to facilitate it?
ANS:
Collaboration is the key to our RTL code debugging and test/verification process.
This will help to make a better design, where discussion with peers and insights
shared will help in the early identification of probable issues. We keep our code
under version control by changes and use Git to manage changes in code and keep
the history of the code modifications. Real-time working and debugging sessions are
also supported by different frameworks advertised through platforms like Slack and
Zoom. Team members can actively discuss issues and solutions through real-time
communication and cooperative debugging sessions. Additionally, we use shared
project management tools like Jira to track progress and assign tasks, ensuring
everyone is on the same page.
10. Would you be willing to provide feedback on early versions of a language model-
augmented logic IC design software/IDE? What would be the best way to reach you
to do this?
ANS:
Yes, I would be willing to provide feedback. The best way to reach me would be
through email at [email protected].

11. Before RTL verification, do you usually (or asked to) prepare Test plan? Are there
any current tools you use to automatically generate Test Plans? If a tool exists that
can automatically generate Test Plans, would you find it beneficial?
ANS:
Yes, we generally make a detailed test plan before verification of the RTL. We do the
test planning using documentation tools. An automatic test planning tool, which takes
the design specification and generates a test plan out of it, would be great in saving
time and helping in ensuring that coverage is thoroughly completed.

12. .After RTL verification complete, do you usually (or asked to) prepare Test reports?
Are there any current tools you use to automatically generate Test reports? If a tool
exists that can automatically generate Test reports, would you find it beneficial?
ANS:
Yes, we do prepare detailed test reports for RTL verification to document the testing
procedure and the results. Such reports are generally constructed by manually
compiling data from simulation logs and coverage reporting. We do not have tools at
this moment for an automatic generation of such kinds of reports in our workflow.
The automatic facility may be such that testing reports conducted can be
automatically generated by compiling the data provided from the simulation and
coverage metrics, which will add up to a speed-enriched and accuracy-rich report
generation, hence reducing the efforts.

13. For RTL verification, are there any current tools you use to automatically generate
Test benches? If a tool exists that can automatically generate Test benches, would
you find it beneficial?
ANS:
We use a vast amount of templates and scripts, but most are still manual. Something
that could automatically generate test benches from design specifications would be
very handy in reducing development time and increasing coverage.
14. If a tool exists that can provide debugging suggestions, would you find it beneficial?
ANS:
Absolutely, a tool with such debugging recommendations would be of great help. It
can identify issues efficiently and thereby offer potential solutions, thus helping to
improve the process of debugging. It can be very useful in identifying and sorting out
fairly complex timing violations and functional errors, and therefore in the end results
in putting up much better designs.

15. If there is a service that is able to provide Test plan, Test bench code and Test
reported automatically while providing code debugging suggestion, would you be
willing to purchase it?
ANS:
Yes, I am willing to pay for a service like this. It makes our lives much easier by
automating some really time-consuming tasks: creating a test plan, generating test
benches, and reports compilation. It will also give built-in debugging suggestions,
expediting the resolving process and increasing the efficiency and reliability of the
verification procedure.