VLSI Design Environments investigates design alternatives such as object
oriented data modelling. The difficulty of automating chip architecture designs
is caused by the complexity of the problem. The explosion of design decions
make a heuristic approach necessary. PLAYOUT aims at the solution of system
problems based on hierarchy, top-down planning, silicon complier presentations,
advances in encoding logic synthesis and a microarchitecre and logic
optimization system. PLAYOUT supports the physical design from entering the
structure of digital systems to the generation of the mask. The concept for
autonomous tools with a clear interface to the network description and the
simple interface to the graphics is presented. This enables the designer to
have a great influence on the configuration of the placement of the schematic
diagram. Substantial progress is being made in behavioural and logic synthesis,
both of which depend upon specifications.
