...Apple A6 core layout done by hand

Just the urls, ma'am.
Post Reply
VLSmooth
Tenth Dan Procrastinator
Posts: 3055
Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2003 3:02 am
Location: Varies
Contact:

...Apple A6 core layout done by hand

Post by VLSmooth »

Detailed analysis of Apple A6 core reveals layout done by hand
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/09/de ... e-by-hand/

This headline reminds me of the time my partner and I pulled an all-nighter in the ECE cluster to reduce the size of our 18-322 8-bit saturating multiplier by 30%+.

Ah memories...

Also, I'd guess at least coarse hand-optimization is commonplace for most layouts.

Jonathan
Grand Pooh-Bah
Posts: 6722
Joined: Tue Sep 19, 2006 8:45 pm
Location: Portland, OR
Contact:

Re: ...Apple A6 core layout done by hand

Post by Jonathan »

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/09/de ... t-23312090

As the article notes, the way you get from RTL to a design varies, even within an SOC, according to your time, area, frequency, and metal constraints.

Jonathan
Grand Pooh-Bah
Posts: 6722
Joined: Tue Sep 19, 2006 8:45 pm
Location: Portland, OR
Contact:

Re: ...Apple A6 core layout done by hand

Post by Jonathan »

Also, there's definitely a difference between what we did in 322 and what a designer in the industry will do. It's kind of analogous to students writing assembly by hand to engineers writing HLL in an IDE. Neither one is using synthesis, but one is way more productive than the other.

Post Reply