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What are typically second- or third-order effects in 2D chip designs are elevated into primary effects in multi-die systems. It’s no wonder, given the many interdependencies in these complex architectures. For example, heat dissipation from one die could impact the performance of the component next to it, or the system as a whole. What’s more, thermal and power delivery problems are exacerbated at 3D because dissipating heat becomes much more difficult. Similarly, signal integrity issues such as crosstalk and electromagnetic interference stemming from one chiplet can hamper the entire system. These are just a couple of examples that scratch the surface of the multi-physics effects that can impede multi-die systems.
The shift from monolithic SoCs to multi-die systems introduces many new considerations. In this new realm, design teams can’t afford to view the package or single dies separately from the whole system. For an optimal system and a convergent, accelerated flow, it’s essential to look at the whole system, from technology to dies and package together, and also to co-optimize it together, with guidance from tightly integrated multi-objective analyses. We refer to this hand-in-glove approach as System Technology Co-Optimization (STCO).
STCO ideally starts at the beginning when teams are conceiving their systems. From feasibility studies and architecture planning to implementation and signoff, a comprehensive die/package co-design approach that accounts for multi-physics effects is critical for design success. Read on to learn more about the importance of co-design and co-optimization. You can also gain additional insights by watching our on-demand, six-part webinar series, “Requirements for Multi-Die System Success.” The series covers multi-die system trends and challenges, early architecture design, co-design and system analysis, die-to-die connectivity, verification, and system health.
Workload-intensive applications such as high-performance computing (HPC) and AI drive demand for multi-die systems to deliver the performance, power, and area (PPA) these applications require. A single package integrating multiple individual dies containing different types of circuits, a multi-die system presents an efficient way to accelerate the scaling of system functionality. With key performance indicators (KPIs) in place, designers can plan their systems and components accordingly.
Multi-physics effects in monolithic SoCs are concerning but can typically be modeled and analyzed upfront and addressed with design adjustments. With multi-die systems, these effects, if unaddressed, become much more detrimental to the entire system.
For example:
To address these effects, analyses of the system must be performed in the context of the multi-die system, examining all the physical aspects and interactions to validate and optimize the system. Multiple properties, from electrical and thermal effects to structural mechanics, must be simulated together to identify power and signal integrity impacts at the system level. What’s needed to accomplish this is a unified STCO solution that can deliver full-spectrum design closure and convergence for optimal PPA per cubic mm.
Read our comprehensive eBook and learn how to overcome multi-die design challenges and realize success.
STCO starts at the beginning when design teams are planning the architecture. As they determine their system’s components and how it should all be partitioned, they need to be able to perform “what if?” analysis to understand their tradeoffs. The more granularity they have as they move toward implementation, the better as they converge toward signoff. At this early design stage, limited information is available; however, system prototyping helps answer several questions: How many dies are needed? How should the die be stacked? What are the tradeoffs of mixing older and newer nodes in the system? How should the power distribution network be designed? What kinds of thermal issues might arise? As the team converges on an architecture to meet their requirements, they can take outputs from feasibility studies and move into system planning and building prototypes.
The Synopsys Multi-Die System Solution provides a comprehensive platform for fast 2.5D and 3D heterogeneous integration to support an STCO approach that helps answer the “what if?” questions. Two key components of the solution that address multi-physics effects are:
Since the Multi-Die System Solution’s components are tightly integrated, design teams can find and resolve problems earlier on to achieve better yields. Disparate tools can be used for this analysis, but if they’re not well connected, they could miss important “red flags” along the way, potentially forcing design teams to address problems closer to tape-out when it is much more costly to do so. Synopsys continually assesses emerging multi-die system effects, and enhances its solution accordingly.
In multi-die systems, multi-physics effects must be addressed from a system standpoint, with the design and optimization processes factoring in all the interdependencies. A system technology co-optimization approach backed by integrated and scalable co-design, analysis, and signoff solutions can help design teams efficiently achieve the PPA promise of their multi-die systems.
Synopsys is empowering technology visionaries with a comprehensive and scalable multi-die solution for fast heterogeneous integration.