Sanjay Gupta

Director of Verification QTI (Qualcomm Technology Inc)

UVM and Emulation

Easing the Path to Advanced
Verification and Analysis

Who am I and What do We Do?

Director of Verification QTI
Responsible for SoC methodology
Using UVM to promote reuse
Vertical reuse within projects
People reuse within QTI

Using Veloce for

Performance validation
Power verification

Methodology From 30,000 feet

SoC for mobile phone/tablet
UVM-based verification
Cores and SoCs
Use UVM Register package extensively
UVM sequences on transactors to replace processor

Methodology encourages Simulation-to-Emulation

migration
Simulation & Simulation Acceleration

Design Block Diagram

Multimedia

Modem

Multicore Subsystem

LTE
World
Modem

CPU

GPS

L1 Cache

Hexagon Hexagon
DSP
DSP
Hexagon DSP

Hexagon DSP

CPU

VeNum

Multimedia

L2 Cache

RF

GPS

GPU

VeNum

L1 Cache

Power
Mgmt

Audio/Video HW
Accelerators

Software/
HLOS

GPU

Hexagon MMX
DSP Processor
Hexagon DSP

Memory

Snapdragon System Fabric

Dual Channel Memory
Snapdragon Adaptive Power Technologies

DSP

Connectivity
Modem

Qualcomms Usage of Mentor Verification Tool Flow*

Passive components
Stimulus driven by "real" tests
Sanity (smaller) tests in simulation

UVM

UVM

UPF

Veloce

UVM Supports the Tool Flow

Full UVM Block-level Testbenches
Add UPF at Block-level
Reuse UVM components at SoC

Use Veloce for Accelleration

Visualizer provides common Debug
through the process

*Qualcomm is a multi-vendor user

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The Need for Speed

SoC-level tests run for a long time
We needed to run bigger usage tests with visibility
We wanted to keep testbenches and VIP
Keep checking/messaging/monitoring
Keep on-the-fly backdoor accesses

User programs and benchmarks run in SimXL mode

Things for Design Engineers to Look Out For

Plan Upfront to Avoid Issues in Emulation Later
Veloce RAM model replacement
Setup Makefiles to ease migration
Identify problematic design constructs
PLLs
Analog Components
Make sure you have behavioral models ready to go

Things for Verification Engineers to Look Out For

Plan Upfront to Avoid Issues in Emulation Later
Memory image format and downloading
Make testbenches emulation friendly

Use performance switches

Backdoor memory support
Ensure DPI is Veloce-compatible
Ensure no # <delay in TB

Identify critical signals for wave dumping

Verify Power-Aware simulation to prep for Veloce
Use Synthesizable VIPs to facilitate migration

Power Validation/Analysis is Critical

Using UPF in both Questa and Veloce
Validate UPF basics in simulation
Transition to Veloce for larger tests to find actual bugs

Power estimation in Veloce

Dump fsdb for analysis
Direct streaming of power data

Run full SoC use cases

Previously only able to run small power validation tests

Power Verification with Veloce

Power hotspots

Hard to write native tests to exercise power

Long multimedia tests at block level
Visibility is required
Visualizer and Codelink

Full SoC power tests take days

Infeasible in simulation

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UVM is the Foundation

UVM transition happened 4-5 years ago
We use standard UVM
No QTI-specific extensions

UVM makes it easier to adopt external VIP

We use Synthesizable VIP on Veloce

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We work closely with Mentor

Visualizer and Codelink are great for debug
Good performance
Port well between simulation and emulation

UPF Support
Not complete yet

Good gate-level performance on Veloce

Strong collaboration between companies
Continually improving

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Thank You!
Questions?
Nothing in these materials is an offer to sell any of the components or devices referenced herein.

2013-2015 Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its affiliated companies. All Rights Reserved.
Qualcomm is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries, used with permission.
Other products and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
References in this presentation to Qualcomm may mean Qualcomm Incorporated, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and/or other
subsidiaries or business units within the Qualcomm corporate structure, as applicable.
Qualcomm Incorporated includes Qualcomms licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of its patent portfolio. Qualcomm
Technologies, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of
Qualcomms engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of its product and services businesses, inc luding
its semiconductor business, QCT.

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