Breker Verification Systems used the opening of DVCon U.S. today to unveil SystemUVM, a framework designed to simplify specification model composition for test content synthesis with a UVM/SystemVerilog syntactic and semantic approach familiar to universal verification methodology (UVM) engineers.
Developed in partnership with leading semiconductor companies, Breker’s SystemUVM’s UVM-style specification model drives test content synthesis, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) planning algorithms for deep sequential bug hunting in existing UVM environments.
A coverage-driven approach simplifies test composition and employs up-front randomization for efficient simulation and accelerated emulation. It enhances test content reuse through configurable scenario libraries and portability for system-on-chip (SoC) integration verification and beyond.
For more information go to: www.brekersystems.com/SystemUVM
The Breker Approach
“UVM is an effective standard for block-level verification,” remarks David Kelf, Breker’s CEO. “As blocks and subsystems get larger and more complicated, composing test content for the UVM environment becomes more difficult and harder to scale. By leveraging synthesis for test content generation, a 5X improvement for larger components and multi-IP subsystems is common in composition time combined with significant coverage increases. SystemUVM makes this easily accessible for verification specialists with a minimal learning curve, dramatically changing the nature of functional verification.”
Breker’s SystemUVM layers UVM class libraries on to Accellera’s Portable Stimulus Standard (PSS) to provide the look and feel of SystemVerilog/UVM and its procedural use model. Models can be composed rapidly, efficiently reused and easily understood and maintained through UVM’s register access level (RAL), a library of common verification functions and abstract “path constraints.”
SystemUVM code offers an alternative to generic PSS while still being built on the industry standard specifically targeting the needs of UVM engineers and recognizable to them, unleashing the power of PSS Test Content Synthesis tools, such as Breker’s TrekUVM™ and TrekSoC™ products.
SystemUVM-based Test Suite Synthesis allows the simplified generation of self-checking test content from a single abstract model complete with high-level path constraints for manageable code. Synthesis AI planning algorithms allow for specification state-space exploration, uncovering complex corner-cases that lead to potential complex bugs.
The coverage-driven nature of the process eliminates the need for coverage models and post-execution coverage analysis that results in test respins. With test randomization performed before execution, simulation is accelerated, and emulation can be used without an integrated testbench simulator, which increases its performance. The tests can also be reused in system verification via the Synthesizable VerificationOS layer without any change or disruption to the UVM testbench.
