A flat, timing-driven design system for a high-performance CMOS processor chipset

We describe the methodology used for the design of the CMOS processor chipset used in the IBM S/390 Parallel Enterprise Server - Generation 3. The majority of the logic is implemented by standard cell elements placed and routed flat, using timing-driven techniques. The result is a globally optimized solution without artificial floorplan boundaries. We will show that the density in terms of transistors per mm2 is comparable to the most advanced custom designs and that the impact of interconnect delay on the cycle time is very small. Compared to custom design, this approach offers excellent turn-around-time and considerably reduces overall effort.