Power Analysis Tool Identifies IC's Peak Power

The ability to identify and analyze peak power consumption early in the design cycle when changes are easily made is a key value of Peak Watcher, a power analysis software suite that identifies peak power usage in deep sub-micron IC designs. The software reportedly can analyze large ICs of up to five million or more transistors in hours. Using the standard Watt Watcher library format, the program also includes support for difficult to handle elements of the design, including memories, I/Os and virtual components. Designed to be used early in the design cycle, the software works at the register-transfer level and addresses the IC peak power problem by allowing designers to run a large number of simulation patterns on their design to investigate conditions as would be found in normal use of the chip or virtual component. It monitors the simulation and reports power usage for the chip and for each module at the highest points in simulations. These sensitive conditions can be further analyzed by layout-driven tools for more accurate analysis.