ULYSSES - an expert-system-based VLSI design environment
Ulysses is a VLSI computer-aided design (CAD) environment which effectively addresses the problems associated with CAD tool integration. Specifically, Ulysses allows the integration of CAD tools into a design automation (DA) system, the codification of a design methodology, and the representation of a design space. Ulysses keeps track of the progress of a design and allows exploration of the design space. The environment employs artificial intelligence techniques, functions as an interactive expert system, and interprets descriptions of design tasks encoded in the scripts language. An integrated-circuit silicon compilation task is presented as an example of the ability of Ulysses to automatically execute CAD tools to solve a problem where inferencing is required to obtain a viable VLSI layout. The inferencing mechanism, in the form of a controlled production system, allows Ulysses to recover when routing channel congestion or over-constrained leaf-cell boundary conditions make it impossible for CAD tools to complete layouts. Also, Ulysses allows the designer to intervene while design activities are being carried out. Consistency-maintenance rules encoded in the scripts language enforce geometric floor-plan consistency when CAD tools fail and when the designer makes adjustments to a VLSI chip layout.
- Research Organization:
- Carnegie-Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 7075752
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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