The pace of innovation is moving at a rate previously seen by humankind at only rare points in history. The invention of the printing press and the ascension of the internet come to mind as similar inflection points, but current innovation trends are being driven aggressively by machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). In fact, AI is empowering rapid technology advances in virtually all areas, from the edge and personal devices, to the data center and even chip design itself.

It’s in this area of chip design tools that companies like Synopsys are making great strides to usher in a new era of holistic design approaches for chip technologies, fueled by AI-enhanced automation. Synopsis is working on harnessing AI to accelerate and automate the design verification and validation process of chips, where the goal is to wring out anomalies and application marginalities before chips are sent to mass production and deployment. “Validation and verification are great opportunities for machine learning, where the AI can help not only time to market, but also expand the test coverage area, which can be especially critical for general purpose silicon that needs broader confidence in a wider range of applications,” notes Sassine Ghazi, Synopsys President and COO.