Method and apparatus for evaluating integrated circuit design performance using enhanced basic block vectors that include data dependent information
US7844928B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 11, 2008 |
| Grant date | Nov 30, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 28, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F30/33
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A test system or simulator includes an IC benchmark software program that executes application software on a semiconductor die IC design model. The benchmark software includes trace, simulation point, clustering and other programs. IC designers utilize the benchmark software to evaluate the performance characteristics of IC designs with customer user software applications. The benchmark software generates basic block vectors BBVs from instruction traces of application software. The benchmark software analyzes data dependent information that it appends to BBVs to create enhanced BBVs or EBBVs. The benchmark software may graph the EBBV information in a cluster diagram and selects a subset of EBBVs as a representative sample for each program phase. Benchmarking software generates a reduced application software program from the representative EBBV samples. Designers use the test system with benchmarking software to evaluate IC design model modifications by using the representative reduced application software program.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.