November 10, 2011 -- Magma Design Automation, Inc. today announced that Adapteva, Inc. used Magma software to tape out the Epiphany-IV 64-core microprocessor array IC targeted to GlobalFoundries' 28-nm SLP process.

By leveraging Magma's Talus, Hydra and Titan digital- and analog-IC-design solutions and the Quartz DRC/ LVS physical verification tool with newly qualified runsets for the 28-nm SLP process, Adapteva was able to deliver the highest energy efficiency of any floating point processor array solution to date, with ground-breaking performance of 70GFLOPS/W.

The Magma flow is well-suited to the unique design and architectural challenges of the Epiphany-IV. This device includes tiled, high-performance floating-point processing cores with a unique and scalable floorplan architecture that is optimized for dense flip-chip package configurations such as extreme-performance applications with minimal footprint requirements.

Hydra, Magma's multi-level, hierarchical design-planning solution provided fast and accurate floorplanning capabilities allowing Adapteva to densely pack multiple processor arrays. It also provided the fast and early feedback needed to meet power and package requirements. With Hydra's comprehensive repeated block and semi- and fully-abutted planning support, Adapteva was able to experiment with a number of array configurations to achieve maximum performance and minimum area. Hydra also provided powerful 45° RDL routing capabilities ensuring maximum flip-chip package density.

The Talus netlist-to-GDSII platform provided Adapteva with the flexibility to explore many different architectures. This convergent design flow also gave the designers additional confidence that early placement, timing, area, and power metrics would be met in the later phases of the design flow. This let the design team focus on adding value to the product rather than expending time and effort on design-flow considerations.

Talus' multi-mode multi-corner capabilities and full-flow optimization with full AOCV support minimized margins enabling Adapteva to deliver a design with the smallest footprint and the highest performance.