Philips Handshake Solutions releases 5th generation clockless IC design environment with improved layout and testing

- Handshake Solutions, a line of business of Royal Philips Electronics, today announced the latest release of its clockless IC design environment, TiDE. Now available to Handshake Solutions licensees, TiDE 5.0 has already been used to automatically synthesize the ARM996HS™ - the world's first implementation of a synthesizable clockless ARM9E™ core. The new release offers a greater choice of layout flows with improved integration into customers existing design flows. Furthermore, it simplifies post-production failure analysis, enabling higher test quality and design efficiency.
 
TiDE is a complete suite of easy-to-use tools for designing and optimizing clockless circuits using Handshake Technology. Unlike conventional ICs, clockless circuits don't use a clock and associated architecture to control chip activity. This leads to a number of benefits including lower power consumption, lower current peaks and lower electromagnetic emissions. Compatible with standard EDA toolsets, TiDE offers designers a high degree of familiarity for easier access to these benefits.
 
Layout plays an increasingly dominant role on circuit timing as feature sizes decrease. Therefore in TiDE 5.0, Handshake Solutions has made the layout process an integral part of the clockless design flow and provides reference flows for the Cadence® Encounter™, Synopsys® Astro™ and Magma® Blast Fusion® tools.
 
To make post-production failure analysis easier, Handshake Solutions has introduced a two-step clockless scan approach. While scan-chain insertion is performed before layout, automatic test pattern generation (ATPG) is now carried out post-layout. This enables bridging-fault testing and allows fault locations to be pinpointed.
 
The new two-step approach also leads to a smaller scan area and improves efficiency when integrating clockless blocks into larger, traditionally clocked systems. To this end, TiDE 5.0 automatically generates the necessary circuits to safely embed the clockless block.
 
"Handshake Technology has proven its maturity and reliability in millions of products - over 80% of the electronic passports in the world already employ it," explained Ad Peeters, CTO of Handshake Solutions. "TiDE, and particularly this latest 5.0 release with its seamless interface to IC design tools, makes it quicker and easier to develop advanced solutions such as the ARM996HS™."
 
Released on July 7, TiDE 5.0 is now available to order from Handshake Solutions. As well as the commercial version, an academic edition (TiDE AE) is also offered, helping universities develop a new generation of clockless designers to meet industry demands.
 
Customers will be able to see TiDE 5.0, Handshake Technology and Handshake Solutions' other products on show at booth 4255 of the Design Automation Conference 2006, in the Moscone Center, San Francisco, July 24 - 28. In addition to its booth, Handshake Solutions will also be hosting a hands-on tutorial at 9 am, Wednesday July 26. Entitled 'Low power by using a clockless design style', the tutorial will offer participants the chance to work with TiDE and the high-level design entry language Haste.
 
For more information on TiDE 5.0, Handshake Solutions and its other products and services, please go to www.HandshakeSolutions.com.
 
About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's largest, with sales of EUR 30.4 billion in 2005. With activities in the three interlocking domains of healthcare, lifestyle and technology and 161,498 employees in more than 60 countries, it has market leadership positions in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, color television sets, electric shavers, lighting and silicon system solutions. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.