Coverage-oriented verification of Banias

The growing complexity of the state-of-art microprocessors dictates the use of cost-effective verification methods. Functional coverage was widely applied in the verification of Banias, Intel´s new IA-32 microprocessor designed solely for the mobile computing market. In this paper, we describe the practical coverage approach as was carried out in the verification of Banias. According to this coverage-oriented verification approach, focus shifts gradually from basic logic cleanup using random testing, where verification follows a predefined test plan, to coverage-driven verification, where coverage verification resources are steered to hit coverage holes. This practical approach enables reaching higher quality for lower effort under a tightened schedule, and provides a clear metric to measure the progress of verification and the quality of the design under test. As the conclusions will show, the retrospective evaluation of this approach shed light on its significant impact beyond original intentions, as well as uncovering several potential areas for refinement that will make this approach even more effective on future projects.