Closing Verification Gaps on a Chiplet Interconnect
Specialized Engineering Scope & Mission Challenge
A semiconductor enterprise designing next-generation multi-die AI accelerator SoCs was preparing for a critical tape-out involving die-to-die (D2D) chiplet interconnects (UCIe and proprietary high-speed PHYs). The verification team struggled to achieve 100% functional and code coverage on the die-to-die interface controller. Protocol corner cases—such as asymmetric lane reversal, dynamic link retraining, power-state transitions, and clock jitter—were escaping existing block-level testbenches, threatening multi-million-dollar silicon re-spins if undetected before tape-out.
Granular Competency & Technical Requirement Matrix
Critical Engineering & Integration Complexities
- Enormous state-space complexity created by concurrent multi-lane link training and asynchronous clock domains between dies.
- Long simulation run times for full-packet transactions on high-bandwidth multi-core SoCs.
- Reaching difficult corner-case coverage bins without destabilizing constrained-random solver performance.
- Unyielding tape-out deadline with zero allowable verification escapes on safety and protocol boundaries.
Engineered Delivery & Execution Workflow
Protocol Architecture Decomposition
Analyzed the UCIe/D2D controller specification and developed a detailed verification plan (vPlan).
Modular UVM Testbench Development
Created reusable UVM agents, drivers, monitors, and scoreboards modeling asymmetric interconnect transactions.
Comprehensive SVA Layer
Authored 300+ formal SystemVerilog assertions checking protocol timing rules and packet parity at every clock edge.
Constrained-Random Sequence Suite
Programmed intelligent random sequence generators targeting link degradation and error recovery states.
Automated Regression Farm
Deployed automated regression workflows on high-performance compute clusters with automated seed management.
Coverage Analysis & Hole Closure
Utilized Verdi to identify unexercised coverage holes and authored directed tests to achieve 100% closure.
Pre-Tapeout Sign-Off Review
Delivered verified coverage matrices and scoreboard logs for final engineering tape-out approval.
Production Toolchains, Protocols & Frameworks
06 | PROJECT TARGETS
Project Targets and Business Impact
Customer Confidentiality Note: Customer identity, proprietary codebases, and commercial program specifics have been anonymized in accordance with non-disclosure agreements.