Cadence and UMC Certify 28HPC+ AMS Design Flow for Accelerated Automotive, IoT & AI Chip Development

Cadence and UMC have jointly certified an integrated analog‑mixed‑signal (AMS) flow for UMC’s 28HPC+ process. This certification unlocks a turnkey AMS solution that speeds design cycles for automotive, industrial IoT, and AI applications on the 28HPC+ platform.

The certified flow builds on UMC’s Foundry Design Kit and incorporates Cadence’s proven custom, analog, digital, and verification tools. It supports the broader Cadence Intelligent System Design strategy, enabling SoC designers to achieve design excellence with fewer iterations.

Core Components of the Certified AMS Flow

• Front‑End Design – Corner, statistical, and reliability simulation; circuit and device checks; comprehensive analog/mixed‑signal verification.
• Custom Layout – Electromigration‑aware, parasitic‑aware environment with schematic‑driven layout, module generation, wire editing, pin‑to‑trunk routing, and voltage‑dependent rules.
• Post‑Layout Analysis – Parasitic extraction, EM‑IR analysis, DRC, and LVS checks for flawless sign‑off.
• Mixed‑Signal OpenAccess – Full interoperability between Virtuoso and Innovus within a single design database, allowing digital block implementation directly from the Virtuoso cockpit.

The flow includes the following Cadence tools:

• Virtuoso Analog Design Environment (ADE)
• Virtuoso Schematic Editor
• Virtuoso Layout Suite
• Virtuoso Space‑Based Router
• Spectre Accelerated Parallel Simulator (APS)
• Spectre AMS Designer with integrated Xcelium Parallel Logic Simulation
• Voltus‑Fi Custom Power Integrity Solution
• Innovus Implementation System
• Quantus Extraction Solution
• Physical Verification System (PVS)

UMC’s 28HPC+ Process Advantages

The 28HPC+ technology uses a high‑performance High‑k/Metal‑Gate stack that offers broad device options, including core device Vt variations, multiple memory bit‑cell configurations, and under‑drive/over‑drive I/O. This flexibility enables SoC designers to optimize cost, performance, and battery life for application processors, cellular basebands, Wi‑Fi, DTV/STB, mmWave, and more.