IBIS Macromodel Task Group

Meeting date: 19 December 2023

Members (asterisk for those attending):
Achronix Semiconductor:       Hansel Dsilva
Amazon:                       John Yan
ANSYS:                      * Curtis Clark
                              Wei-hsing Huang
Aurora System:              * Dian Yang
                            * Raj Raghuram
Cadence Design Systems:     * Ambrish Varma
                              Jared James
Dassault Systemes:            Longfei Bai                             
Google:                       Hanfeng Wang
                              GaWon Kim
Intel:                      * Michael Mirmak
                              Kinger Cai
                              Chi-te Chen
                              Liwei Zhao
                              Alaeddin Aydiner
Keysight Technologies:        Fangyi Rao
                              Majid Ahadi Dolatsara
                              Stephen Slater
                              Ming Yan
                              Rui Yang
Marvell:                      Steve Parker
Mathworks (SiSoft):         * Walter Katz
                              Graham Kus
Micron Technology:            Justin Butterfield
Missouri S&T:                 Chulsoon Hwang
                              Yifan Ding
                              Zhiping Yang
Rivos:                        Yansheng Wang
SAE ITC:                      Michael McNair
Siemens EDA (Mentor):       * Arpad Muranyi
                            * Randy Wolff
Teraspeed Labs:             * Bob Ross
Zuken USA:                    Lance Wang

The meeting was led by Arpad Muranyi.  Curtis Clark took the minutes.

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Opens:

Arpad noted that the next two regularly scheduled meeting are cancelled:
  December 26, 2023 (cancelled)
  January  02, 2024 (cancelled)
  
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Review of ARs:
         
Michael: Send out draft17 of the AMI Test Data proposal including more feedback
         from the ATM meeting and update the full syntax example accordingly.
         - Done.
         
Michael: Develop a full syntactically complete example demonstrating the
         AMI Test Data proposal.
         - In progress.

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Call for patent disclosure:

- None.

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Review of Meeting Minutes:

Arpad asked for any comments or corrections to the minutes of the December 12th
meeting.  Michael moved to approve the minutes.  Dian seconded the motion.
There were no objections.

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New Discussion:

AMI Test Data proposal:
Michael reviewed draft17, which he had sent to the ATM list prior to the
meeting.  He noted the changes it contained:
- Per the discussion at the previous meeting, the format of the file referred
  to by the AMI_input_parameters_file subparameter now contains two sections.
  The "Simulator_parameters" section contains values related to the AMI function
  calls' formal parameters (e.g., Sample_interval, Symbol_time, Number_of_rows,
  and Agressors for AMI_Init()).  The "Model_parameters" section specifies the
  values of the AMI parameters to be passed to the model.  It contains the exact
  parameters string the simulator should pass to the model in AMI_parameters_in.
- Several typos and a misplaced [End Algorithmic Model] were corrected in the
  Examples section.
- The description of the format of the file referred to by the
  AMI_output_parameters_file subparameter was clarified.  It now states that the
  first block of parameter data (block index 1) for a Time_domain configuration
  contains the parameters returned by AMI_Init().
  
While reviewing draft17 with the group, Michael noticed a typo in the
description of the contents of the file referred to by
AMI_output_parameters_file.  It showed the file's contents as containing
"Usage In or InOut" parameters, and he corrected it to "Usage Out or InOut" in
all instances.

Ambrish asked for clarification on who or what would generate the file referred
to by AMI_output_parameters_file.  Michael said the model maker is responsible
for creating the file and supplying it to the user as part of the AMI model
distribution.  The model maker could potentially assemble it manually.  However,
Michael said he hoped that AMI model creation tools would eventually provide
model makers with an option to automatically synthesize the expected output
parameters file.  Similarly, he said he hoped that EDA tools would have an
incentive to support [AMI Test Configuration] and provide users with an easy
way to ask for the automated testing and comparison to expected results.

Michael reviewed the presentation on his formulation of a full syntactically
complete example, which he had emailed to the ATM list along with draft17
(see the ATM meeting minutes from December 12, 2023, for initial discussions).
Michael asked whether the text files in his example distribution were
sufficient, or whether we needed to update and recompile the .dll and the test
simulator from the original 2009 example upon which his example was based.  He
also asked whether the Tx example was sufficient, or whether an Rx example would
be of interest to anyone.  No one replied, so these questions remain open.

Ambrish moved to ask Michael to submit draft17, with the corrections noted in
today's meeting, to the Open Forum to become an official BIRD.  Arpad seconded.
There were no objections.

Michael suggested that once we have a BIRD number, we could post the full
syntax example to the ATM page of the IBIS site and reference the BIRD.

Arpad thanked everyone for their hard work in 2023 and wished everyone Happy
Holidays.

- Ambrish: Motion to adjourn until 2024.
- Curtis: Second.
- Arpad: Thank you all for joining.

New ARs:

Michael: Submit the AMI Test Data proposal to the Open Forum for introduction
         as an official BIRD.

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Next meeting: 9 January 2024 12:00pm PT
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IBIS Interconnect SPICE Wish List:

1) Simulator directives
