The Odyssey of a Smashing Platinum simulator
The heart of a Virtual Platform!
Before DOLPHIN was even conceived...
in 1979
Michel DEPEYROT had a dream: how about a multi-level simulator
so that SPICE-level and logic simulation could be run jointly
for the PDP-11 Tiny, the development of which he managed at
DEC in Maynard, Ma.
In 1981
at THOMSON-EFCIS in Grenoble, France, Michel DEPEYROT rephrased
his dream as an objective for central research: to provide a
mixed signal logic-analog simulator for modeling pin-to-pin
a single-chip modem then in the making for the celebrated Minitel
terminals. His express purpose was to facilitate test program
development with the natural way to gather circuit knowledge
and tester know-how. He was invited to "forget it",
but the Minitel modem project flew properly.
In 1983
during
negotiations with NSC in Santa Clara, Michel DEPEYROT met with Jim
SOLOMON who confided he was leaving to found his own company for developing
a mixed-signal simulator (Silicon Design Lab was later acquired by
a big league EDA supplier which canned… the simulator).
Then SMASH was born…
In 1987
Michel
DEPEYROT had a slight chance to partake in the commercialization of
a locally designed electrical simulator, first with a relaxation algorithm,
coming-out of the labs of now France Telecom: but they refused the
goal of compatibility with MS-Windows, as well as the mixed signal
goal… so the product went to a foreign start-up, later purchased
by a member of the EDA big League.
In 1989
DOLPHIN
launched commercially the first ever seamlessly mixed signal single-engine
simulator SMASH, with Cyril Desclèves, then chief engineer,
with Christian DUPILLIER, analog design expert, as Development and
Marketing Manager. They targeted at first transient analysis for high-speed
logic design and innovated in interactive display. The structural
level was initially HILO compatible
In 1991
Thierry
VILLARD came on board as first Sales person at DOLPHIN focused on
SMASH, for designers of both IC and PCB.
In 1992
the first
full-scale silicon-compatibility of SMASH was demonstrated on a spectral
analysis on the SAFIR test chip: compatibility with random results
of traditional simulators is irrelevant, what counts is physical significance
of SMASH results with natural mixed signal netlists.
The SMASH era
In 1993
IDM ELMOS
of Dortmund, Germany selected SMASH as its operational simulator on
both UNIX and MS-Windows.
In 1995
a meeting
in Paris with representatives from major EDA suppliers of the big
League resulted in their refusal to join in the promotion of a standard
mixing technique for SPICE + C or HDL + A, together with a refusal
to promote any common mixed signal benchmark that would facilitate
user-driven comparative evaluations. DOLPHIN alone promoted its Master
benchmark ("Maître Étalon") with little impact
of course.
In 1996
outmoded
HILO was replaced in SMASH by the fast-growing VERILOG-HDL, now controlled
by the top EDA actor, and prevalent in Japan and America.
In 1997
recently
publicized competitor ATTSim was acquired by a big League player,
but mostly ignored…
But why put successively aside all such mixed signal simulators with
a single engine?
Seamless versus Cosimulated…
Because Cosimulation backplanes are not only much more profitable
than such mixed signal simulators with a single engine, but they facilitate
the stranglehold of EDA Frameworks by justifying worrisome and cumbersome
scripts, in some proprietary command language. And what for?
• Just for performing netlist composition tasks, absolutely unjustified,
and pointless for fortunate users of SMASH.
But this is when the discovery of the "end-of-pain paradox"
can be approximately dated: namely, because the big frameworks' approach
to mixed signal netlisting is so unnatural and painful, all SMASH
prospects fear the end of their pain, or simply can't believe they
have unnecessarily suffered for years…
So:
In 1998
multilingualism peaked
with the emerging standard of VHDL implemented within SMASH 4.0
consistently with VITAL and previous languages for logic.
In 1999
the development team
was strongly restaffed and headed by Gilles Depeyrot, while SMASH
passed the mark of more than 2,000 licenses sold worldwide, and
its usage is becoming acceptable at a number of schools and universities,
even though traditionalism in teaching habits still maintains a
stiff boundary between logic and analog design.
In 2000
the first VHDL-AMS
implementation in SMASH remains the most complete! and paves the
way to efficient Virtual Tests and Diagnostics, to Virtual Instrumentation
as well as to integrated MEMS modeling…
In 2001
SMASH 4.3 is launched
on LINUX together with the implementation of a striking patent enabling
"Virtual Yield Diagnosis"…
In 2002
SMASH 4.4 is launched
with dynamical ERC. It becomes the Platinum Reference. And to celebrate
this important step and also to demonstrate the benefit of a true
mixed-signal multilevel simulator, innovative solutions are presented
for seven recurrent design problems.
In 2003
two major innovations dynamize SMASH to a new height of release 5: the first patent implements a fast detection of offsets, Imbalance Locate, while the available cosimulation interface serves to launch SUCCESS™ with any ISS, Instruction Set Simulator for hardware-software codebug.
In 2004
release 5.3 launchs capability for Transient Noise simulation with an exclusive capability for accuracy as needed by High Resolution mixed signal converters.
In 2005
the long-awaited launch of VERILOG-A is synchronized with a significant increase in simulation speed with the SWIFT algorithms to accelerate all solvers.
In 2006
at a time when users are concerned with low noise and low power performances, SMASH 5.7 is enriched with the capability for accurate Jitter tolerance assessment and with a new extension for dynamic and static power consumption assessment named SCROOGE.
The year 2007 withnesses a sharp improvment in design checking, both Debug and Coverage analysis are part of release 5.9.
And for ever SMASH is the vector for Virtual Platforms of Silicon
IP, filling the gaps of EDA Frameworks for SoC Integration with a
necessary hierarchical design flow, dealing simply with multi-level
modeling with all standard design languages.
A word of wisdom
No EDA manager has ever been fired for choosing among the big league
of suppliers, whatever their stranglehold on productivity and innovation.
For SMASH to unlock the stranglehold takes the form of displacing
the traditional "Golden simulators" thanks to the daring
and vital benefits of the "Platinum simulator" as explained
in a recent Press release!
It is not so much because SMASH is so superior that its users end-up
among our best customers for Virtual Components, but it is because
they proved their worth when they evaluated SMASH. They indeed demonstrated
that they were wise enough by understanding its superiority!
They demonstrated not only independence of judgement, but above all
the kind of character strength necessary for innovating successfully
in IC development…
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