Abstract :
If a chip designer wants to stay in business, it is vital to minimise time to market in order to meet whatever market windows are available. The latest synthesis tools work from a special class of languages, termed hardware-description languages (HDL), formulated specifically for describing digital systems and IC designs. The author describes the origins of VHDL (VHSIC HDL) and looks at its applications in the reduction of time to market of ASICs