Ankita Soni

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Don’t Let Bugs Slip Through Your RTL Design!

• 2 minute read

To validate your RTL design, are you still relying solely on simulation? Is there anything else that needs to be done to validate it further?

Simulation has been a cornerstone of hardware verification for decades. Its ability to generate random stimuli and validate RTL across diverse scenarios has helped engineers uncover countless issues and ensure robust designs. However, simulation is inherently scenario-driven, which means certain rare corner cases can remain undetected despite extensive testing.

This is where formal verification adds significant value. Formal doesn’t just simply mathematically analyze the entire state space of your design; it checks every possible value and transition your design could ever encounter, providing exhaustive coverage that complements simulation. No corner case is left unchecked. No bug is left hiding. Together, they form a powerful verification strategy.

Why Formal Matters in Modern Validation

Any modern validation effort needs to take advantage of formal verification, where the apps in the Jasper Formal Verification Platform analyze a mathematical model of RTL design and find corner-case design bugs without needing test vectors. This can add value across the design and validation cycle. Let’s look at some standout Jasper applications: Jasper’s Superlint and Visualize can help designers to quickly find potential issues or examine RTL behaviors without formal expertise. Jasper’s FPV (Formal Property Verification) allows formal experts to create a formal environment and signoff on the IP, delivering the highest design quality and better productivity than doing block level simulation. Jasper’s C2RTL is used to exhaustively verify critical math functions in CPUs, GPUs, TPUs, and other AI accelerator chips.

Jasper enables thorough validation in various targeted domains, including low power, security, safety, SoC integration, and high-level synthesis verification.

“The core benefit of formal exhaustive analysis is its ability to explore all scenarios, especially ones that are hard for humans to anticipate and create tests for in simulation.”

Why Formal? Why Now?

Here’s why formal verification matters now:

  • No more test vectors or random stimulus. Formal, mathematically, and automatically explores all reachable states; verification can start as soon as RTL is available without the need to create a simulation testbench.
  • Powerful for exploring corner-case bugs. Exhaustive formal analysis can catch corner case bugs that escape even the most creative simulation testbenches.
  • Early design bring-up made easy. Validate critical properties and interfaces before your full system is ready.
  • Debugging is a breeze. When something fails, formal provides a precise counterexample, often with the shortest trace, eliminating the need for endless log hunting.
  • Perfect partnership with simulation. Simulation and formal aren’t rivals; they are partners. Use simulation for broad system-level checks, and Formal for exhaustive property checking and signoff of critical blocks. Merge formal and simulation coverage for complete verification signoff.

Not Sure Where to Start? We’ve Got You Covered!

If you’re new to formal, start with Cadence Online training like the Jasper Formal Fundamentals Training. Whether you’re a designer, verification engineer, or just curious about formal, this course gives you hands-on experience with formal verification.

After taking the Jasper Formal Fundamentals Course, you’ll be able to:

  • Build a complete formal verification flow from spec to signoff.
  • Write efficient, reusable SVA properties for formal tools.
  • Set up, run, and analyze formal results with confidence.
  • Understand all proof outcomes and debug counterexamples
  • Handle formal complexities.
  • Leverage formal coverage basics.

This course gives you hands-on experience with formal verification labs. And don't forget to obtain your digital badge after completing the training!

                 

Jasper University Page: Supercharge Your Formal Skills

Explore Jasper University Page, the ultimate hub for expert-led training, hands-on labs, and industry-recognized certification from Cadence!

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