Synthesis Tool Profiles
Common Contract
- Prefer wrapper:
syn/scripts/run_syn.sh
- Synthesis is mandatory at block/top gate levels.
- Normalize output into:
tool, status, area, timing_summary, log_path, replay_path
- Multicore: DC/Genus scripts request
--max-cores (default 8) via
set_host_options / set_db max_cpus_per_server. Tools auto-limit to the
licensed/physical maximum, so over-requesting is safe (graceful degradation).
- Memory wrappers: behavioral SRAM (
sram_sp/tp/dp) keeps its 2-D array under
synopsys translate_off, so DC/Genus skip it. With no compiled macro linked,
run_syn.sh blackboxes the wrapper (set_dont_touch + set_disable_timing) and
WARNs. Select a process with --mem-process and link the macro with --mem-lib
for real timing/area. See the synth-memory-blackbox design spec.
Output Directory Structure (DC-standard)
syn/
├── db/ — Binary databases (.ddc, .db, .genus_db)
├── vnet/ — Gate-level netlists (.v, .json)
├── svf/ — Setup Verification Flow (.svf, DC only)
├── scr/ — Generated scripts (.tcl, .ys) + replay/
├── rpt/ — Reports (area, timing, power, qor)
├── log/ — Synthesis logs
├── temp/ — Cache and temporary files
└── work/ — Tool work directories
Open-Source Baseline
yosys:
syn/scripts/run_syn.sh --tool yosys --top <top> -f rtl/filelist_top.f- Optional lib mapping:
syn/scripts/run_syn.sh --tool yosys --top <top> -f rtl/filelist_top.f --liberty <lib>
Commercial Profiles
dc_shell:
syn/scripts/run_syn.sh --tool dc_shell --top <top> -f rtl/filelist_top.f- Optional:
--liberty <tech.lib> --sdc <design.sdc> --script <dc.tcl> --max-cores <n>- Memory:
--mem-process <NAME> --mem-lib <macro.db> --mem-module <name> --mem-strict
- Outputs:
.ddc → syn/db/, netlist → syn/vnet/, .svf → syn/svf/, .synopsys_dc.setup → syn/scr/
genus:
syn/scripts/run_syn.sh --tool genus --top <top> -f rtl/filelist_top.f- Optional:
--liberty <tech.lib> --sdc <design.sdc> --script <genus.tcl> --max-cores <n>- Memory:
--mem-process <NAME> --mem-lib <macro.db> --mem-module <name> --mem-strict
- Outputs:
.genus_db → syn/db/, netlist → syn/vnet/
vivado (FPGA):
syn/scripts/run_syn.sh --tool vivado --top <top> --script <vivado.tcl>--script is mandatory: part number, XDC and IP handling are
project-specific, so there is no generic non-project recipe to auto-generate.
The Tcl must carry its own synth_design -top <top> -part <part> flow.-f, --liberty and the --mem-* options do not apply — the Tcl owns source
and constraint loading.
Invocation Reference
The exact binaries and batch switches the runner uses. These are the shapes each
vendor documents; changing them silently breaks the stage.
| Tool |
Invocation |
Why this shape |
yosys |
yosys -s <ys> |
— |
dc_shell |
dc_shell -64bit -f <tcl> |
Synopsys shells spell the switch -64bit |
genus |
genus -batch -files <tcl> |
Without -batch Genus keeps an interactive shell alive after sourcing. -64 is an RTL-Compiler-era switch — Genus is 64-bit only and newer releases reject it |
vivado |
vivado -mode batch -source <tcl> -nojournal -nolog |
Batch mode exits when the script finishes; Tcl mode would return to a prompt. Suppressing the journal/log keeps parallel runs from colliding |
Tool Availability Tiers
| Tier |
Tools |
Capabilities |
sv2v Handling |
| 1 (commercial) |
dc_shell, genus |
Full synthesis + timing + area + PPA |
Not needed (native SV support) |
| 2 (oss) |
yosys |
Latch detection, unmapped cells, basic area estimate |
Script handles internally (Layer 2) |
| 3 (none) |
— |
Synthesis skipped with WARNING |
N/A |
Use get_synthesis_tier() from lib/tool-runner.sh to determine tier at runtime.
sv2v Policy: sv2v is a Layer 2 concern — run_syn.sh handles it internally for Yosys.
Agent prompts and policy skills MUST NOT instruct manual sv2v execution.
Canonical source stays SystemVerilog; tool adaptation is the script's responsibility.
--skip-if-unavailable flag: When passed to run_syn.sh, tool absence or license failure
produces WARNING + clean exit (exit 0) instead of hard failure. Use in optional synthesis contexts
(Stream B smoke test, V8 estimation without commercial tools).
Gate Criteria
FAIL: tool fatal error, netlist generation failure, or unusable reportPASS: synthesis completes and required summary artifacts are generatedSKIPPED: tool not available and --skip-if-unavailable was set (non-blocking)
1---2name: syn-tool-profiles3description: Internal reference: syn tool profiles (agent-loaded; do not invoke).4---56# Synthesis Tool Profiles78## Common Contract9- Prefer wrapper: `syn/scripts/run_syn.sh`10- Synthesis is mandatory at block/top gate levels.11- Normalize output into:12 - `tool`, `status`, `area`, `timing_summary`, `log_path`, `replay_path`13- Multicore: DC/Genus scripts request `--max-cores` (default 8) via14 `set_host_options` / `set_db max_cpus_per_server`. Tools auto-limit to the15 licensed/physical maximum, so over-requesting is safe (graceful degradation).16- Memory wrappers: behavioral SRAM (`sram_sp/tp/dp`) keeps its 2-D array under17 `synopsys translate_off`, so DC/Genus skip it. With no compiled macro linked,18 `run_syn.sh` blackboxes the wrapper (`set_dont_touch` + `set_disable_timing`) and19 WARNs. Select a process with `--mem-process` and link the macro with `--mem-lib`20 for real timing/area. See the synth-memory-blackbox design spec.2122## Output Directory Structure (DC-standard)23```24syn/25├── db/ — Binary databases (.ddc, .db, .genus_db)26├── vnet/ — Gate-level netlists (.v, .json)27├── svf/ — Setup Verification Flow (.svf, DC only)28├── scr/ — Generated scripts (.tcl, .ys) + replay/29├── rpt/ — Reports (area, timing, power, qor)30├── log/ — Synthesis logs31├── temp/ — Cache and temporary files32└── work/ — Tool work directories33```3435## Open-Source Baseline36- `yosys`:37 - `syn/scripts/run_syn.sh --tool yosys --top <top> -f rtl/filelist_top.f`38 - Optional lib mapping:39 - `syn/scripts/run_syn.sh --tool yosys --top <top> -f rtl/filelist_top.f --liberty <lib>`4041## Commercial Profiles42- `dc_shell`:43 - `syn/scripts/run_syn.sh --tool dc_shell --top <top> -f rtl/filelist_top.f`44 - Optional:45 - `--liberty <tech.lib> --sdc <design.sdc> --script <dc.tcl> --max-cores <n>`46 - Memory: `--mem-process <NAME> --mem-lib <macro.db> --mem-module <name> --mem-strict`47 - Outputs: `.ddc` → `syn/db/`, netlist → `syn/vnet/`, `.svf` → `syn/svf/`, `.synopsys_dc.setup` → `syn/scr/`48- `genus`:49 - `syn/scripts/run_syn.sh --tool genus --top <top> -f rtl/filelist_top.f`50 - Optional:51 - `--liberty <tech.lib> --sdc <design.sdc> --script <genus.tcl> --max-cores <n>`52 - Memory: `--mem-process <NAME> --mem-lib <macro.db> --mem-module <name> --mem-strict`53 - Outputs: `.genus_db` → `syn/db/`, netlist → `syn/vnet/`54- `vivado` (FPGA):55 - `syn/scripts/run_syn.sh --tool vivado --top <top> --script <vivado.tcl>`56 - `--script` is **mandatory**: part number, XDC and IP handling are57 project-specific, so there is no generic non-project recipe to auto-generate.58 The Tcl must carry its own `synth_design -top <top> -part <part>` flow.59 - `-f`, `--liberty` and the `--mem-*` options do not apply — the Tcl owns source60 and constraint loading.6162## Invocation Reference6364The exact binaries and batch switches the runner uses. These are the shapes each65vendor documents; changing them silently breaks the stage.6667| Tool | Invocation | Why this shape |68|------|------------|----------------|69| `yosys` | `yosys -s <ys>` | — |70| `dc_shell` | `dc_shell -64bit -f <tcl>` | Synopsys shells spell the switch `-64bit` |71| `genus` | `genus -batch -files <tcl>` | Without `-batch` Genus keeps an interactive shell alive after sourcing. `-64` is an RTL-Compiler-era switch — Genus is 64-bit only and newer releases reject it |72| `vivado` | `vivado -mode batch -source <tcl> -nojournal -nolog` | Batch mode exits when the script finishes; Tcl mode would return to a prompt. Suppressing the journal/log keeps parallel runs from colliding |7374## Tool Availability Tiers7576| Tier | Tools | Capabilities | sv2v Handling |77|------|-------|-------------|---------------|78| 1 (commercial) | dc_shell, genus | Full synthesis + timing + area + PPA | Not needed (native SV support) |79| 2 (oss) | yosys | Latch detection, unmapped cells, basic area estimate | Script handles internally (Layer 2) |80| 3 (none) | — | Synthesis skipped with WARNING | N/A |8182Use `get_synthesis_tier()` from `lib/tool-runner.sh` to determine tier at runtime.8384**sv2v Policy**: sv2v is a **Layer 2 concern** — `run_syn.sh` handles it internally for Yosys.85Agent prompts and policy skills MUST NOT instruct manual sv2v execution.86Canonical source stays SystemVerilog; tool adaptation is the script's responsibility.8788**`--skip-if-unavailable` flag**: When passed to `run_syn.sh`, tool absence or license failure89produces WARNING + clean exit (exit 0) instead of hard failure. Use in optional synthesis contexts90(Stream B smoke test, V8 estimation without commercial tools).9192## Gate Criteria93- `FAIL`: tool fatal error, netlist generation failure, or unusable report94- `PASS`: synthesis completes and required summary artifacts are generated95- `SKIPPED`: tool not available and `--skip-if-unavailable` was set (non-blocking)
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