Enabling Visual Design Verification Analytics - From Prototype Visualizations to an Analytics Tool using the Unity Game Engine
This addresses the problem of handling complex verification data for ASIC designers, but it is incremental as it applies an existing game engine to a specific domain.
The paper tackled the challenge of managing large amounts of test results in ASIC design verification by developing a cityscape visualization tool using the Unity game engine, with initial evaluations showing it helps identify error-prone parts and coverage holes.
The ever-increasing architectural complexity in contemporary ASIC projects turns Design Verification (DV) into a highly advanced endeavor. Pressing needs for short time-to-market has made automation a key solution in DV. However, recurring execution of large regression suites inevitably leads to challenging amounts of test results. Following the design science paradigm, we present an action research study to introduce visual analytics in a commercial ASIC project. We develop a cityscape visualization tool using the game engine Unity. Initial evaluations are promising, suggesting that the tool offers a novel approach to identify error-prone parts of the design, as well as coverage holes.