Many companies need to purchase IP when designing ASIC chips. So how should we choose among the numerous IP vendors? Typically, we need to evaluate the IP selection based on the following factors:
Before selecting IP, it is essential to confirm the production process of the ASIC chip, as the performance, power consumption, and area of the IP are closely related to the production process. For example, the key metrics of an 800G Ethernet IP from the same company can vary significantly under different production processes.
After confirming the production process, we need to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the IP’s functionality, performance, power consumption, and area. It is necessary to verify whether the functionality and performance meet the chip’s requirements, and whether the power consumption is within acceptable limits. Excessive power consumption may lead to heat dissipation issues for the chip. Additionally, we need to consider the area of the IP and whether there are any constraints in the backend layout.
In addition to the functionality, performance, power consumption, and area of the IP, it is also crucial to check whether the IP has completed test chip testing in the current production process. If the test chip testing has not been completed, it indicates that the IP may not be fully developed and could pose unknown risks. If the test chip testing has been completed, the performance in protocol compatibility testing and standard test results should be key points of focus. Furthermore, it is important to understand whether there are other customers using the IP in the target production process, the progress of their chips, whether they have completed tape-out, and the results of tape-out testing. Some IP vendors may present their IP very well, but without market validation, directly adopting it could lead to issues. For instance, as an IC design engineer, one often focuses on the functionality, area, power consumption, and performance metrics of the IP, while lacking sufficient understanding of the electrical characteristics and related electrical tests for certain IPs (such as PHY). This aspect requires significant attention during IP selection. Functionality, area, performance, and power consumption determine whether the current IP can be used, while the stability of the chip’s operation after mass production is often determined by the electrical characteristics of the IP.
As for other evaluation factors, they include technical support fees and their duration, IP costs and their calculation methods, etc.
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Source:IC Xiao Ge
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