PowerPro Automatic Power Optimization

PowerPro’s sequential optimization is based on Siemens EDA’s patented deep sequential analysis engine that performs multi-cycle analysis for registers and memories to find the most optimal enable conditions for clock gating and memory gating. Deep sequential analysis is a combination of an observability analysis engine and a stability analysis engine. The observability analysis engine performs deep sequential analysis on logic whose output is not observable. Stability-based analysis, however, performs deep sequential analysis on logic whose output is stable. Deep sequential analysis traverses multiple cycles to find enable condition that can be applied to gate multiple registers and shut-off the datapath logic driven by those registers, yielding significant gains.

PowerPro’s state-of-the-art, production proven RTL writing engine automatically writes out power optimized RTL for its sequential optimization techniques, clock gating and memory gating. It inserts enable conditions into the “if” branch of the always block and adds comments to the user RTL so that PowerPro inserted enables can be easily identified. It also maintains full readability of the RTL by keeping indentation of the code and the untouched original RTL “as is”. Enable logic implemented automatically is stored in separate modules and the new file list with automatically generated RTL is available in the work directory. The Write RTL engine can be configured to write power-optimized RTL in many ways by configuring its options. Users can also select opportunities that they wish the tool to automatically implement.

SLEC-Pro is a sequential logic equivalence checking tool that is shipped with PowerPro’s automatic optimization solution. SLEC-Pro is able to verify the logic equivalence between users original RTL and PowerPro’s automatically generated low-power RTL. As PowerPro find optimization opportunities that re multi-cycle in nature, a sequential LEC tool is required for its verification. User is not required to setup SLEC-Pro. PowerPro automatically generates a script with all required setup that can simply be executed to run SLEC-Pro and perform formal verification. There is no need for RTL designer to invest in formal verification of automatically optimized low-power RTL.