( ESNUG 265 Item 2 ) -------------------------------------------- [9/10/97]
Subject: ( ESNUG 264 #1 ) Synthesizable IP Is *Unprotected* IP
> On one hand, we want to distribute IP to our customers, so they
> can synthesize them to gates, adjust the synthesis to meet their
> own constraints, and simulate with back annotated information
> the entire ASIC. On the other hand, we want to guarantee that our
> customers cannot copy the IP and make their own, *AND* we do not want
> them to be able to simply re-synthesize to another process after we have
> completed the design stage with them, and then fab it somewhere else.
From: "Janick Bergeron" <janick@qualis.com>
John,
In my opinion, this situation would be better resolved and in a more
timely manner if the business adapted to the currently available
technological situation instead of looking for or inventing a technology
to match its business process.
TI should view IP and foundry as two separate businesses and treat them
as such: sell IP as a separate product from manufacturing services.
Of course, the tight integration of an IP provider with an IC manufacturer
could be used as a competitive advantage: proven in silicon, default
synthesis scripts for typical performance parameters, built-in DFT, etc...
none of the benefits you'd get if you only purchased the IP and went to
another manufacturer.
Financial incentive could also be used to encite customer to stay with TI
for the manufacturing. For example, royalties could be waved if the IP
is manufactured with them.
Encryption and licensing should not get in the way of getting value out of
purchase.
- Janick Bergeron
Qualis Design Corporation
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From: David LINSLEY <dlinsley@baea.com.au>
John,
I really liked 'The Engineer's Song'... we've just had a round of
'fat-trimming' here and we're all still a bit down so that brought a smile
to everyone's faces (well maybe a few managers won't like it too much).
Steve Korson of TI asked a quetion about Synthesizable IP. I have a
comment for him.
It sounds like what Steve is trying to do is something like trying write a
compiler which produces code which will run on the user's computer,
but which cannot be sold (or given) to anyone else without paying a
royalty to the writers of the complier. You could imagine potential
customers lining up to laugh then run away. IMHO the two 'wants' are
mutually exclusive and the only thing to do is to make the fabbing
attractive enough that the customers won't want to go somewhere else.
And, hey, if you make it really attractive, maybe you could win some
customers away from the competitors in your mythical IP arena; after all,
they will be facing the same dilemma as yourself.
I'm sorry, but from the other side of the world all this IP protection stuff
sounds really childish. In the end, if there are not enough swings and
roundabouts for everyone then the least popular kids will just have to go
and play somewhere else. (Although I suspect, given the way things
are, they'd organise a protest rally and either get the council to build
more roundabouts or get the park closed down so nobody could play).
- David Linsley
British Aerospace Australia
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From: Moe Shahdad <mshahdad@viewlogic.com>
John,
By definition, synthesizable IP is in source form, and therefore it cannot
be protected. Majority of IP vendors fall into two buckets: soft and hard.
Soft IP vendors add value to their IP by demonstrating the quality of
their IP, i.e., demonstrating that the IP can be implemented in a sample of
technologies with good results for area, timing, or power. They then
supply the IP source to the user, who would design with the IP, and if
necessary modify the IP.
Hard IP vendors add value to their silicon by having a variety of IP blocks
that are targeted to their silicon. These blocks tend to be available only
from one source in order to lock the customer to the vendor. Hard IP is
optimized for the vendor's process and is generally distributed in a
protected form. In order to achieve this optimization, the IP is generally
synthesized and implemented in layout. Some hard IP vendors provide
configurable IP, which allows the user to configure a block for a specific
technology, memory size, co-processors, etc. In this case, the IP user may
receive a configurable block that he can play with to select a configuration.
During this process, the IP user receives only those protected views of the
IP that are necessary for his design, such as a simulation view or a timing
view. This is one of the primary application areas of VMC to protect
functional and timing information. It allows the IP vendor to disclose
sufficient information to enable the use of the IP, but not too much to
compromise the intellectual property of the vendor.
- Moe Shahdad
Viewlogic Systems
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