EDIF grows up

The Electronic Design Interchange Format (EDIF), now in its second revision and paving the way for universal data exchange among CAE tools, is examined. Translators can convert data files from a given design tool into EDIF as a standard format and from EDIF into the form needed by another design tool. The benefits of using EDIF for design capture tools, design analysis tools, and logic synthesizers are discussed. Examples of the successful use of EDIF are given, and some problems encountered in its use are considered. A table listing the features of representative software packages is given.<
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