Method and system for measuring circuit design capability
US6823294B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 20, 1999 |
| Grant date | Nov 23, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 20, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2111/08
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method is provided for quantifying circuit design complexity. Conclusions regarding the time and effort to implement a circuit design are thereby derived and historical and predictive analyses prepared. Common circuit design parameters are determined using a computer-implemented Normalization Method. In the Normalization Method, the effort required to implement circuitry is quantified by evaluating each one of a set of complexity factors. The total transistor count of a circuit is then adjusted according to these complexity factors to produce a “normalized transistor” count. Design characteristics or factors that influence complexity are identified from among raw data in a database of integrated circuit design project data. These factors are then incorporated into a Normalization Equation such that normalized transistor count is a statistically significant predictor of required design project effort. An identified design characteristic is expressed mathematically as either a composition term or a figure of merit term. A scaling process is used to derive a complexity factor reflecting different levels of relative design complexity within each composition term and the r…
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