The Systems Era of Semiconductor Design: A Shift Left Revolution
Shift left is evolving from a buzzword into a much broader shift in design methodology and EDA tooling, and while it’s still early innings there is widespread agreement that it will be transformative. The term “Shift Left” has been increasingly used within the semiconductor development flow to indicate that tasks that were once performed sequentially must now be done concurrently. This is usually due to the tightening of task dependencies. The semiconductor industry is undergoing a transformative shift left, moving from traditional power, performance, and area (PPA) optimization to a holistic, system-level design methodology. This evolution integrates 3D-ICs, domain-specific architectures, and system-level metrics like performance per watt, demanding closer collaboration between hardware, software, and systems engineering. With chiplets, digital twins, and virtual hardware, early testing and optimization across disciplines are focused on addressing interconnected variables like thermal, reliability, and workload differentiation. However, this shift is not without challenges, including predictive uncertainty, the need for accurate modeling, and greater reliance on cross-industry standards, emphasizing the importance of a collaborative, end-to-end design approach that unites all stakeholders under a systems engineering framework.
My Take
This shift left represents a pivotal moment for semiconductor innovation, redefining how the industry approaches design complexity. First, early optimization using advanced modeling tools is essential to reducing guard-banding and achieving better performance metrics. Guard banding adds conservative safety margins to design parameters to account for uncertainties and ensure system reliability under varying conditions. Second, integrating software earlier in the process highlights the need for closer alignment between software and hardware teams. Third, chiplets and 3D-ICs underscore the demand for new standards and collaboration across previously siloed domains. Finally, this shift is not just about technology but about rethinking organizational structures and workflows to stay competitive in the systems era.
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Link to articles:
https://semiengineering.com/shift-left-is-the-tip-of-the-iceberg/
https://semiengineering.com/knowledge_centers/eda-design/methodologies-and-flows/shift-left/
Credit: Semiconductor Engineering