Start Your Engines: AMS Flex – Our Next Generation Architecture Matures

Cadence® Spectre® AMS Designer is a high-performance mixed-signal simulation system. The ability to use multiple engines and drive from a variety of platforms enables you to "rev up" your mixed-signal design verification and take the checkered flag in the race to the market. The Start Your Engines! blog series will provide you with tips and insights to help you tune up your simulation performance and accelerate down the road to productivity.

The core of any mixed-signal simulation system is a single kernel elaborator capable of deciphering the digital and analog components of a user’s design without placing restrictions on what may be modelled across the two domains. Digital may reference analog, contain analog, control analog, and pass through analog. Analog may reference digital, contain digital, control digital, and pass through digital. The user focuses on the abstraction to use; the tool figures out how to decipher that content and make the simulation run. This is where AMS Designer has led the way for over twenty years with the power of a single kernel elaborator allowing a focus on design rather than the limitations on strict blackbox partitioning associated with co-simulation systems.

Once we get past elaboration, requirements during the simulation phase change. We must run fast. We want access to the latest digital or analog simulation technology. We need to use a certain simulator release validated for certain IP or we need an update for a kernel fix. We need a complete mixed-signal simulation, but we do not want it to hinder those parts of the design that may have no direct connection to the mixed interface. This is where the AMS Flex simulation philosophy was born – give the user most immediate access to the latest simulation technology on either side, get out of the way of the core engines and allow immediate access to new features and allow engine performance to shine.

And over these several COVID years this is what the flex platform has become. In 2022 the Flex architecture allows mixing and matching of the simulation kernels across different release trains while providing the richest AMS experience only a unified elaborator can offer. When using flex mode with the latest Xcelium release, XCELIUM 22.03, you may use a SPECTRE 21.1 ISR or 20.1 ISR.  An efficient propriety kernel messaging scheme allows the combination of kernels in each domain while maintaining consistency. The kernels may even exist on different machines for best utilization of resources and may be independently powered down if not in use in interactive modes. As we push forward in 2022 the new Spectre FX fastspice comes to AMS. Leveraging the same Flex architecture, the Spectre FX kernel plugs in just like APS and Spectre X. Same AMS use model, same unified elaborator, same flexible simulation kernel, just add -fx and go!

Welcome to the AMS Flex era, we hope you enjoy it!

Related Resources

Product Manuals	Spectre AMS Designer and Xcelium Simulator Mixed-Signal User Guide
Application Notes	One-Stop Knowledge Resource for Mixed Signal Verification
Blogs	Start Your Engines: AMSD Flex—Take your Pick! Start Your Engines: AMSD Flex – Your Instant Access to Latest Spectre Features!

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For any questions, general feedback, or even if you want to suggest a future blog topic, write to custom_ic_blogs@cadence.com.

- Patrick O’Halloran, AMS Designer R&D

About Start Your Engines

The Start Your Engines series would bring to you blog posts from several analog/mixed-signal subject matter experts on a variety of topics, such as introduction to the new features in AMS Designer, tips for enhanced working with existing features, and much more. To receive notifications about new blogs in this series, click Subscribe and submit your email ID in the Subscriptions box.