NPD Management Corner

IP Reuse – There’s an Elephant in the Room

Is IP reuse the great business fantasy of the past decade? It’s pretty clear that there is both an ample supply and a business demand that should propel a working IP reuse strategy. Can reuse really be successful, particularly in the analog area? If you ask a designer, one who is responsible for the technical success of a chip, the answer will be entirely different than an answer from business leadership or IP suppliers.

The truth is that designers have never been highly energized about reuse, from either internal or external sources. There is an elephant in the room that has never been dealt with and that is the fear of reuse. This long term anxiety has been erroneously packaged up and buried by leadership as a stubborn attitude or the NIH factor at play, keeping the reality just out of sight.

For true reuse enablement this fear package must be dug up, unwrapped and a full inventory of the contents must be completed. The essence of what is found will highlight the fact that the end designer’s needs are not being met. Proper actions to genuinely mitigate what is found will be the only path to a successful reuse strategy. The foundation of successful IP reuse begins with addressing the end users needs, providing IP deliverables that will mitigate reuse fear and truly make reuse the simplest path for the designer.

#1 – Deliverables
The deliverable package for IP is by far the most important aspect of winning end user support for reuse. It must inspire a sense of confidence that both the architecture approach and the verification activities are top notch. A schematic, RTL, layout and spec will NOT alone foster this essential trust. The end user must have access to information that captures the architecture trade-offs, risk analysis approaches, decision processes and verification concepts of the design originator.
#2 – Address User Concerns
Ensure there is a path for concerns about reuse to be aired and addressed. If the end users have no voice, IP reuse will absolutely be like pushing a rope. Without addressing these concerns a potential IP user will pushback. Forced reuse will typically cultivate a requisite verification phase that could take longer than an original design approach. Integrators of reusable IP fully embrace the fact that they are still on the hook for a chips success, even though a portion came from elsewhere. Never lose sight of that fact!

#3 – Marketing Strategy
Always remember that successful IP reuse is a pull from the end user, not a push towards the end user. If end users are not being drawn towards the IP the marketing approach has left out the most important customer, then end user. Any winning IP marketing tactic must minimally address items one and two above!

#4 – Repository
Having addressed all the IP content requirements, the repository can now be implemented. A word of warning – don’t put anything in the repository that does not meet the first two rules. Any perception of garbage in the repository will ruin your efforts for a very long time. Repository content that draws users towards it will always seal the deal on reuse. Remember – Quality content rules!

Reusable IP that is in Demand – A few Closing Thoughts

If a designer digs through a wonderfully crafted repository, downloads the deliverables and finds a deficiency in IP content, you have lost them for a very long time.

Keep in mind that IP reuse enablement is not a software or EDA task; it is a deliverable content development task.

The end user will make or break your reuse strategy. It is paramount to understand what will “make it work” for them.

The repository leaves a short-term impression, what the designers receive from it leaves a long-term impression.

Reuse content will need to be kept current based on silicon usage and tool updates. Don’t ignore or underestimate effort here.

Reuse enablement requires the matching of re-user needs with cataloged content.