Rapid prototyping of high-speed communications chips

A description is given of the Mulga symbolic design system, which is based on the virtual-grid concept, a structural approach to symbolic design that extends naturally to a hierarchical design. The relative placement of the circuit elements is determined by their location on the input grid. This grid serves only to delineate the relative topology of the circuit elements and does not correspond to a physical coordinate system. Experience with Mulga for more than seven years is reported, showing that it has been very effective in providing quality layout and high productivity, enabling small teams to do entire designs, from algorithms to logic design to layout. A new symbolic design system called Dasl is also reported. The advantages of using symbolic layout for generator systems and silicon compilers are discussed.<>