Key Considerations for Migrating to Cloud-based EDA Tools

Semiconductor Review | Monday, April 10, 2023

Migrating to cloud-based EDA tools can boost productivity, flexibility, and cost efficiency, but requires careful planning to ensure a successful transition.

FREMONT, CA: Due to the diminishing benefits of Moore's Law and the increasing complexity of design, chip designers require efficient solutions that offer exceptional performance and functionality while reducing power consumption, all while being cost and time-efficient. This has led to the rise in popularity of cloud-based electronic design automation (EDA) solutions, as they provide a means for innovation and productivity. The cloud is becoming a vital tool for achieving these goals.

Data Transfer and Management

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One important factor to consider when moving EDA workloads to the cloud is identifying which data needs to be transferred to and from the cloud. Employing solutions that minimise the amount of data that needs to be transferred will result in faster results and increased efficiency, leading to improved productivity.

There are several models available for managing both on-premise and cloud environments, but a simpler approach is to move the necessary data to the cloud. To ensure that the cloud environment replicates the on-premise environment, it's important to catalogue and identifies the dependencies required for a design during the data management process.

Cloud Security

The semiconductor industry needs to adopt cloud technologies quickly because data security concerns are a major issue. It is crucial to have a robust data governance plan in place that specifies which individuals have access to particular types of data and implement effective access and identity management measures to safeguard sensitive data.

Cloud infrastructure vendors have extensive experience in incorporating security measures into their infrastructure, applications, and operations. They have implemented state-of-the-art security measures to safeguard their data centres and maintain high system uptime. By collaborating with cloud security vendors, EDA vendors can modify their technologies to ensure the secure execution of their workloads and minimise the risk of data exposure.

Accessibility and Deployment

EDA workloads are characterised by high-performance computing and the use of NFS-heavy storage. These workloads rely heavily on system libraries, tools environment, and hardware. Designers who are familiar with how their EDA processes operate on their premises can benefit from faster turnaround times through on-demand and nearly real-time provisioning, as well as an improved user experience with cloud solutions that are similar to consumer-grade solutions.

Chip designers should also take into account the time required to set up the cloud infrastructure, including network connectivity and firewall management. They should also consider how they would access cloud-based tools, how to effectively monitor resource utilisation and the potential acceleration of task completion. These are important questions that need to be addressed to make the most of cloud solutions.

Scalability and Cloud Architecture

EDA flows rely on efficient scheduling and streamlined storage to manage distributed workloads effectively. Many EDA tools have been redesigned to accommodate thousands of cores, alongside distributed schedulers that can efficiently allocate these resources. The cloud also offers hybrid scaling, allowing workloads to be executed either on-premises or on the cloud, depending on the requirements of the task.

When using cloud technologies, it is crucial to restructure EDA solutions. Just as EDA products have embraced opportunities for multi-processing and multi-threading, EDA solutions must also adopt cloud architecture. As chip designers transition to the cloud, embracing new technologies such as distributed storage, distributed computing, and more will lead to increased innovation.

Migrating to cloud-based EDA tools can offer several benefits, such as improved scalability, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness. Migrating to cloud-based EDA tools can be a viable option for design teams looking to improve their productivity, flexibility, and cost efficiency. However, it is essential to consider the above factors carefully and plan the migration process accordingly to ensure a successful transition.

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