The Design of High-Performance Microprocessors at Digital

Today´s high-performance single-chip CMOS microprocessors are the most complex and challenging chip designs ever implemented. To stay on the leading edge, Digital´s microprocessor designers strive for global optimizations across the design space, develop innovative highspeed custom circuit design techniques, and use state-of-the-art manufacturing technology for fabrication. With microprocessor performance increasing at a rate of 50% per year, quick time-to-market is crucial. Logic and circuit bugs that would prevent first-pass silicon from booting the operating system must be eliminated before tape out if unacceptable schedules delays are to be avoided. Quick time-to-market is achieved by: fostering good design practice through the use of a consistent methodology and detailed design reviews; accounting for manufacturing variations and long-term reliability concerns from the start of the design; and subjecting the chip models to rigorous logical and electrical verification prior to prototype fabrication. This paper presents a practical view of Digital´s design process.