A 150-MHz graphics rendering processor with 256-Mb embedded DRAM

A 150-MHz graphics rendering processor with an integrated 256-Mb embedded DRAM, delivering a rendering rate of 75 M polygons/s, is presented, 287.5 M transistors are integrated on a 21.3×21.7 mm ² die in a 0.18-μm embedded DRAM CMOS process with six layers of metal. Design methodologies for hierarchical electrical and physical design of this very large-scale IC, including power distribution, fully hierarchical timing design, and verification utilizing a newly developed nonlinear model, clock design, propagation delay, and crosstalk noise management in multi-millimeter RC transmission lines, are presented