EDA challenges facing future microprocessor design

As microprocessor design progresses from tens of millions of transistors on a chip using 0.18-μm process technology to approximately a billion transistors on a chip using 0.10-μm and finer process technologies, the microprocessor designer faces unprecedented Electronic Design Automation (EDA) challenges over the future generations of microprocessors. This paper describes the changes in the design environment that will be necessary to develop increasingly complex microprocessors. In particular, the paper describes the current status and the future challenges along three important areas in a design flow: design correctness, performance verification and power management