Mentor Graphics has achieved tape-out sign-off certification of the Calibre physical verification platform and Analog FastSPICE (AFS) circuit simulation platform for Intel 10nm tri-gate process technology. This means that customers of Intel Custom Foundry can now extend their use of Mentor-based flows, first developed for Intel's 14nm process technology, to do design rule checking (DRC), layout vs. schematic checking (LVS), electrical reliability analysis, and nanometer circuit simulation for the 10nm process technology. Mentor and Intel Custom Foundry used a PowerVR GT7200 GPU design from Imagination Technologies for 10nm certification.

"Collaboration with Mentor gives our joint customers easier access to our 10nm process—the third-generation tri-gate technology that offers superior power, performance and area (PPA)," said Venkat Immaneni, senior director of Foundry Design Kit Enablement at Intel Custom Foundry. "Certification of the Calibre and AFS platforms allows customers to simulate and verify their differentiated, leading-edge SoC designs with high confidence of a successful outcome."

Intel Custom Foundry and Mentor Consulting have jointly developed models and rule checks for Intel's 10nm process, so that mutual customers can release 10nm designs to Intel Custom Foundry after validation using Calibre tools. The Calibre nmDRC and Calibre nmLVS platforms help design teams optimize their designs to meet process requirements. The teams can also use the Calibre PERC software to perform reliability checks for electrical overstress (EOS) protection, signals crossing multiple power domains, and other reliability checks to expedite design closure.

For circuit verification and characterization, the AFS platform is certified for Intel Custom Foundry's 10nm process device models and design kits.