Mixed-signal USB IP core design using distributed collaborative approach

The paper presents application of a collaborative approach to distributed design of a complex mixed-signal IP component, that involved two dispersed SMESs. The USB High Speed OTG Transceiver (PHY-physical layer) IP core was the design objective. Challenges of the distributed design have been identified and profoundly discussed. Further on, a collaborative design style used by the distributed design team during two selected design phases, namely interface design specification, as well as distributed design and verification, and have been presented. This includes a distributed design workflow represented as a knowledge model and the workflow for remote tools invocation. In final conclusions, pros and cons of the distributed collaborative approach used have been explained.