Words Manish Kumar
NEW DELHI (India CSR): In the intricate world of silicon validation, debugging plays a pivotal role in ensuring that designs perform optimally and are free of costly flaws. The complexity of modern semiconductor designs means that once a chip enters the tapeout phase, access to debugging tools becomes limited. Engineers are left with fewer debug ports and pins, which increases the pressure to catch and address bugs efficiently. Enhancing debugging skills is, therefore, not only crucial for meeting deadlines but also for improving the quality of the final product. The evolution of debugging techniques, combined with an innovative approach to validation, is reshaping the semiconductor industry’s ability to deliver high-performance chips with fewer flaws and faster turnaround times.
Niranjana Gurushankar has distinguished herself as a leading figure in enhancing debugging processes for silicon validation. As an expert in the field, she has streamlined workflows, developed tools that automate testing, and refined validation techniques, significantly improving efficiency and reducing time-to-market. Her approach leverages both her deep technical knowledge and innovative problem-solving skills, making her a key contributor to her team’s success in identifying and fixing critical issues at an early stage. Through her work, Niranjana has been able to reduce validation time, improve bug detection rates, and optimize engineering productivity all while lowering development costs and driving revenue growth.
Among the key successes of Niranjana one of them has been her work on early bug detection in embedded systems and high performance GPUs. By focusing on specific validation techniques, she was able to establish herself as the person who could recognize various hardware design problems early in the development cycle before they are reflected in the latter stages. She contributed to the identification and creation of an automated testing framework that helped in achieving a higher level of bugs detected during pre-silicon validation. By increasing the detection rate to 80% from 60%, her framework allowed finding crucial bugs that, if not discovered, would have led to re-spins.
In addition to detecting bugs, Her ability to innovate has had a significant impact on the silicon validation process. She developed various scripts to automate corner cases and basic hardware checks, ensuring that performance parameters like frequency were accurately measured directly on the silicon. These innovations have not only reduced manual testing time but also improved the accuracy and reliability of performance validation, which is crucial for high-end chips. With fewer debug ports available, her creative solutions allowed her team to maximize their testing capabilities without compromising on thoroughness.
Moreover, Her work in streamlining communication between design and validation teams has led to more efficient use of resources. By implementing a Python script-based approach to predict potential bug hotspots, she has enabled more targeted testing, allowing her team to focus their efforts where they matter most. Her efforts have optimized simulation resources, reducing simulation runtimes by 20% and allowing the team to run more tests in the same time frame.
As a mentor and thought leader, She has also played a key role in fostering growth within her organization. She has shared her knowledge with junior engineers, helping them avoid common pitfalls and improving their debugging skills. Additionally, her active involvement in open-source projects, collaboration with research teams, and participation in industry conferences have contributed to her growing influence in the hardware field. These experiences have helped Niranjana stay ahead of the curve, keeping her team informed about the latest trends and developments in silicon validation and debugging.
Niranjana’s contribution has become apparent through the feedback she has recorded in terms of achievements. For example, her debugging techniques have cut down on the time required to accomplish some of the modules From three weeks down to one week, which saves engineering time. Validation improvements achieved by her have resulted in early product release, less expensive mistakes on the final product hence making a direct impact on overall product development costs and the final product quality. While debugging and validation her work has not only improved the efficiency of the engineering team but also helped develop a more efficient and cost effective system of developing software.
Her work is also a prime example of how innovation in debugging tools and techniques can lead to significant advancements in the field. She tackled challenges such as “unreproducible” bugs, tool limitations, and siloed communication between teams, coming up with creative solutions to overcome these barriers. By pioneering new debugging methods and promoting collaboration, Niranjana has contributed to a culture of continuous improvement within her organization, ensuring that her team stays agile and capable of tackling the next generation of complex hardware designs.
Through her accomplishments, Niranjana Gurushankar has proven that mastering debugging skills is critical for efficient silicon validation processes. Her ability to innovate, mentor, and streamline workflows has made her an invaluable asset to her organization, and her work continues to shape the future of the semiconductor industry.
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Manish Kumar is a news editor at India CSR.
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