IP REUSE QUALITY: "Intellectual Property" or "Intense Pain"?

Abstract

As systems on a chip become more complex, reuse of third-party intellectual property (IP) becomes more necessary to meet time-to-market deadlines. However, issues surrounding IP quality are very much unresolved. Poor IP quality is the key reason why many IP users feel that “IP” is actually an acronym for “Intense Pain.” . There are major inconsistencies surrounding basic quality, including fully synchronous design, registered inputs and outputs for IP blocks, and completion of full specifications before design. All these inconsistencies contribute to difficulties in using the IP and integrating it into a chip design. One of the key reasons why quality is still such an issue within the IP community is the issue of “reuse” versus “salvaging.” Much of the IP sold over the last few years wasn’t really designed for reuse. Instead, it was designed for use in a single chip, then later repackaged (i.e., salvaged) as IP. There has also been tremendous interest in creating IP repositories—fancy Java-based, Web-accessed, and multi-featured custom products meant to hold the wealth of IP. Along the way, though, we forgot to create enough fully reusable IP to warrant these repository investments. Although the challenges in the IP business may seem daunting (and there are many more besides just those that concern quality), they are well worth the effort when you consider the rewards. There’s a tremendous need for IP to address the growing productivity gap, which represents a great opportunity for the third-party IP industry.