A practical, project-based course on end-to-end CAD flows for VLSI systems, taught from the perspective of Computer Architecture.
| Gopalakrishnan Srinivasan |
SSB 202, Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Madras e-mail: sgopal@cse.iitm.ac.in |
Purushothaman Ramakrishnan |
RISE LAB, Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Madras e-mail: puru_rise@icsrpis.iitm.ac.in |
This course is a practical and project based introduction to end-to-end CAD (Computer-Aided Design) flows for VLSI systems, from RTL to layout. It covers topics spanning RTL design using Bluespec System Verilog, logic synthesis, and physical design (placement and routing). It targets self-motivated graduate students and upper-level undergraduates interested in pursuing hardware design and computer architecture in greater depth, potentially for a research project or thesis.
| Component | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment -1 | RTL Design using Bluespec System Verilog | 4% |
| Synthesis (Understanding and Implementation) | 6% | |
| Assignment -2 | RTL Design using Bluespec System Verilog | 4% |
| Placement and Routing (Understanding and Implementation) | 6% | |
| Mid Semester | 20% | |
| End Semester | 30% | |
| Project | 30% |
Taught in the A slot, in the CS24 of the CSE Department:
| Day | Time |
|---|---|
| Monday | 8:00 – 8:50 |
| Tuesday | 12:00 – 12:50 |
| Thursday | 11:00 – 11:50 |
| Friday | 10:00 – 10:50 |
| Week | Dates | Important Dates | Topic and Lecture Slides | Assignments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Jul 27 - 31 | Intro to Shakti Accelerators | ||
| Week 2 | Aug 3 - 7 | Intro to ASIC and BSV | ||
| Week 3 | Aug 10 - 14 | Standard Cells and Terminologies | ||
| Week 4 | Aug 17 - 21 | TCL & BSV | ||
| Week 5 | Aug 24 - 28 | Cont. of prev week | ||
| Week 6 | Aug 31 - Sep 4 | Give Assignment-1 Specification 01/09/2026 - Assignment 1 release date | Interface methods & IO Ring Design | Assignment 1 |
| Week 7 | Sep 7 - 11 | DFT & Intro to Rules | ||
| Week 8 | Sep 14 - 18 | 18/09/2026 - Assignment 1 deadline | Rule Scheduling,ESD,Floorplan | |
| Week 9 | Sep 21 - 25 | 21th Thursday (Mid Sem Exam - 7:30 AM) | PVT,Placement,CTS | |
| Week 10 | Sep 28 - Oct 2 | 28th Friday Give Assignment-2 Specification | Midsem solutions discussion | Assignment 2 |
| Week 11 | Oct 5 - 9 | Assignment-2 Submission (5th Oct)
Give Project Specification (6th Oct) |
Register Types | |
| Week 12 | Oct 12 - 16 | Branch Prediction, OCV & STA | ||
| Week 13 | Oct 19 - 23 | IC Packages | ||
| Week 14 | Oct 26 - 30 | FIFO | ||
| Week 15 | Nov 2 - 6 | |||
| Week 16 | Nov 9 - 13 | End Semester Exam (10th Nov) | Project Submission (end of week) | ||
| Exam Slot | Nov 16-20 | Late Project Submission ( with mark deduction) |
| S K Hari Kheshav | cs24s025@cse.iitm.ac.in |
| Sanjeev Subrahmaniyan S B | ee23b102@smail.iitm.ac.in |
| Abhinav I S | ee23b002@smail.iitm.ac.in |
| JAYANTH R | ns25z033@smail.iitm.ac.in |
| Mukul | cs25m032@smail.iitm.ac.in |
| Aman Pandey | cs25s019@smail.iitm.ac.in |