June 2, 2011 -- The Interoperable PDK Libraries (IPL) Alliance today announced IPL Constraints 1.0, a standard for interoperable design constraints. IPL Constraints 1.0 defines an open standard of the specifications for a set of design constraints and it is now available for validation by IPL Alliance members.

IPL Constraints 1.0 will allow designers to enter constraints and design intent once and use across multiple EDA tools in their design flows, improving productivity and quality of results while reducing time to market.

IPL Constraints 1.0 defines both the syntax and schema for open, interoperable design constraints. Design constraints are design-specific and distinct from foundry constraints which are based on semiconductor process design rules that are imposed by a foundry’s manufacturing technology. Design constraints can be applied in many different areas including: placement, routing, timing, clock, symmetry, matching, power, floorplanning, pin, electrical, and more.

The IPL Design Constraint working group includes members from Altera, Ciranova, Pulsic, SpringSoft, Synopsys and TSMC. In addition, Xilinx and ST Microelectronics are acting in an advisory role. The working group is now soliciting donations of additional constraints for the next version of the standard to meet emerging design challenges.

"Current analog and custom design methodologies increasingly rely on design constraints to increase productivity by improving communication among designers and enabling automation of the design process," said Rich Morse of SpringSoft, Chair of the IPL constraint working group. "There is no open standard for defining these design constraints in custom design. As a result, users are forced to enter constraints multiple times, once for each tool. To remedy this situation, the IPL Alliance has embarked on an initiative to create a single unified set of constraint definitions including both the formats and semantics of design constraints."