Report on the first OVM World Summit at DAC

At the recent Design Automation Conference (DAC) in Anaheim, Calif., Cadence did not have a big booth but we were involved in many different activities. The most fun for me was the first "OVM World Summit" -- a meeting for users of the Open Verification Methodology (OVM). Cadence co-sponsered the event, which drew more than 70 attendees from a wide range of companies.

After introductions, three hands-on OVM users talked about their experiences. This was followed by a panel with several additional users as well as Cadence representatives. Well-known EDA journalist Gabe Moretti chaired and grilled the panelists about several aspects of the OVM. We also had lots of excellent questions from the floor, ranging from deeply technical to more political in nature (such as the role of OVM in Accellera). 

It turned out that the last few questions were ideal lead-ins for the final session, in which OVM technologists from Cadence explained what will be coming in the next major release (2.0) and some ideas for how the OVM may evolve beyond that. They strongly encouraged user involvement in the OVM and its future, by participation in the forum on the OVM World site (www.ovmworld.org) and by providing feedback directly to vendors who support the methodology.

There was a high level of energy, the continental breakfast was good, and several people commented to me afterwards that the event exceeded their expectations. We'll keep you posted on future user group meetings and other activities that may be of interest. Having been involved in the OVM for nearly a year now, it's really gratifying to see how much excitement it has generated in the industry. I'm certain that it will be the subject of some future blogs as well!

 Tom A.