Knowlent Ensures Analog Sign-Off With Latest Opal Verification Platform

SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Knowlent Corporation, today announced the release of the Opal testbench platform version 4.0 for the validation of high-speed interfaces used in SOC designs implemented in the latest nanometer silicon technologies. Highlights of this new release include the availability of source code and extensibility features for pre-built testbenches, over 2X better performance of the binary test database, and integration with the industry leading analog design environment. The Opal platform ensures 100% compliance of analog blocks to their electrical specifications ensuring signoff for that portion of an SOC design. The increased flexibility, performance and accuracy of this new release enable customers to better achieve first-time product success.

The company is also announcing the availability of a pre-built testbench for the PCI Express Gen 2 interface standard. Designers have had access to digital verification IP for years now. However, until the advent of Opal, analog designers have not had the use of analog verification IP. Knowlent uniquely provides testbench setups and data collection for each measurement in the PCI Express specification, enabling analog designers to obtain consistent, reliable and complete coverage. This process, which formerly took weeks to complete, is now accomplished in days with consistent results. Opal testbenches are simulator independent and work with all leading SPICE and fast-SPICE engines.

"In my experience, making a high-speed SerDes work-to-spec inside a noisy low-power CMOS SOC is always a good challenge," said James Jones, Design Manager, Lohan Solutions, Inc. "We used Knowlent's Opal environment to test a SerDes block for compliance to the PCI Express electrical specs, and Opal found problems that were not caught by other testbenches. The independent verification was important. The thorough test suite with its built-in sim automation and debug framework saved us quite a bit of scripting time. The customer support was first-rate. Opal did what I wanted it to do, so I intend to use it again for my next SerDes."

Knowlent's president and CEO Sandipan Bhanot said, "Tape-out does not equal sign-off for the analog world. Designers tape-out and then hope the silicon will work. Ensuring 100% compliance to electrical specifications is the only way to guarantee that high-speed interfaces are correct while taking into account all the environmental effects."

Bhanot continued, "With the release of version 4.0 of the Opal platform, we are delivering the accuracy, ease-of-use, and functionality designers need to achieve analog signoff and to tape-out with confidence. We are also continuing to expand our portfolio of pre-built testbenches for upcoming protocols, such as PCI Express Gen 2, to help meet the challenge of verifying today's leading SOC designs."

New Capabilities

Tests are provided in source code format so design teams can customize or extend the set of standard tests as desired. Tcl and Perl are both supported as extension languages. All the power and flexibility of the test functions found in the Opal platform are now available to designers and verification engineers wishing to explore enhanced or different circuit specifications.

The binary database uses in Opal to store results of the testbench analyses has been enhanced for quick, in-depth analysis of test results and specifications across hundreds of runs, and gigabytes of SPICE simulation data. Users will experience at least a 2X performance improvement in running complex tests such as data analysis for clock recovery, and computation of random and deterministic jitter.

Opal version 4.0 also provides seamless integration with the industry-leading analog design and schematic environment for quick and easy design import, allowing designers to start using Opal immediately and as a natural extension to their design flow.

Pricing and Availability

Release 4.0 of the Opal testbench platform is available now. U.S. pricing for time-based licenses starts at $40,000, depending on configuration. Opal is supported on Sun Solaris, and Redhat Linux operating systems. PCI Express Gen 2 support is available now. Pricing for pre-built testbenches depends on type and maturity of the protocol. Contact Knowlent's sales department for more details at 408-748-0600.

About Knowlent Corporation

Located in Silicon Valley, Knowlent Corporation is an Intellectual Property (IP) and Electronic Design Automation (EDA) startup firm providing analog and mixed-signal testbench suites for standard interface specifications such as PCIe, Serial ATA and XAUI. Knowlent is exhibiting at the upcoming Design Automation Conference in San Francisco. For more information and to register for a demo, please visit our website at http://www.knowlent.com.

NOTE: Knowlent and Opal are trademarks of Knowlent Corporation.