Technology

Engineering After Orthogonalization: Why Verification Has Become A Lifecycle Discipline

Source

SemiEngineering

Published

Jan 15, 2026

TL;DR

AI Generated

The article discusses how verification in the semiconductor industry is evolving into a continuous, lifecycle discipline due to the breakdown of traditional design boundaries. As designs become more integrated and complex, verification assumptions are no longer valid post-deployment, leading to emergent failures that require ongoing verification. The shift towards lifecycle verification necessitates a persistent system model that evolves alongside the product, requiring coordination across various verification techniques. The article emphasizes the importance of adapting verification strategies to span domains, persist across lifecycles, and evolve with the systems they protect in the convergence era of semiconductor engineering.

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Solving the EDA tool fragmentation crisis

Design teams are facing challenges with EDA tool fragmentation as specialized tools for IC verification struggle to share design data efficiently. The Calibre Connectivity Interface (CCI) aims to bridge this gap by transforming Layout vs. Schematic (LVS) verification data into a universal source that downstream tools can access accurately. CCI operates on the Standard Verification Database (SVDB) to provide rich connectivity data for various analysis tools, including parasitic extraction, electromagnetic simulation, and power integrity analysis. Integration with third-party tools like Empyrean's PEX, Phlexing's GloryEX, Synopsys StarRC, and Cadence QRC showcases CCI's ability to streamline workflows and enhance design accuracy. The article emphasizes the importance of seamless multi-tool integration in modern IC design to improve efficiency and accelerate time-to-market for semiconductor innovation.

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