Overview

CalligoTech, an Indian Silicon Valley startup founded in 2012, focuses on developing products and solutions for high-performance computing (HPC), big data, and AI/ML. Specializing in developing products and solutions for these cutting-edge fields, CalligoTech has been at the forefront of commercializing posit arithmetic in both hardware and software. The company's latest achievement is the successful tape-out of their new accelerator, TUNGA, the first multi-core RISC-V processor utilizing posits. This accomplishment was made possible with the support of the Synopsys Digital Design Family, putting CalligoTech on the path to delivering more energy-efficient CPUs.

CalligoTech Logo

Challenges

CalligoTech faced several challenges in developing their posit-based multi-core RISC-V accelerator chip:
  • Precision and Performance: The need for more precise and efficient numbering systems for HPC applications.
  • Design Complexity: Managing the complexity of designing a high-performance, low-power CPU core.
  • Time-to-Market: Meeting aggressive schedules with limited engineering resources.
  • Tool Proficiency: Transitioning from competitive design tools to the Synopsys design flow.

Solution

CalligoTech utilized the Synopsys Digital Design Family to address these challenges:

  • Full Chip Design Flow: The RTL-to-signoff flow from Synopsys helped achieve power, performance, and area (PPA) goals.
  • Technical Expertise: Synopsys technical experts provided support in setting up PDK libraries and PPA recipes, and helped the team become proficient with the new tools.
  • IC Compiler II: The place-and-route solution handled the 1.5 million gates of the design seamlessly, ensuring stability and efficiency.

Results

The collaboration with Synopsys yielded significant results for CalligoTech:

  • Successful Tape-Out: Achieved successful tape-out of the TUNGA processor, the first multi-core RISC-V processor with posits.
  • Efficient Design Process: The Synopsys design flow enabled four engineers to complete the project on an aggressive schedule.
  • High-Performance CPU Core: Developed a power-efficient and computationally accurate CPU core, ideally suited for AI and HPC applications.
  • Future Integration: CalligoTech plans to integrate Synopsys Interface IP and Memory IP into its next device and contribute to strengthening the semiconductor ecosystem in India.

With Synopsys Digital Design Flow, CalligoTech is poised to lead the way in next-gen computing, delivering innovative solutions for compute-intensive segments like AI, genomics, and more.