Introduction

Systems-on-chip (SoC) complexity is rising, and circuit and system design groups are under extreme pressure to deliver efficient and competitive products, with optimized area to cost ratio and shorter design cycle times than ever before. Integrated Circuit and System design flow begins with the integration process where the selected devices or blocks are interconnected. The target is achieving the best power performance, fulfilling each application specs versus noise and speed and reaching the required area to cost ratio spec to have a viable product business case. Another critical factor is the design cycle time since this determines the design development cost and the time to market. Innovative and smart circuit and system design methodologies are required as to move from the standard traditional SoC methodology to an up-to-date methodology that can face the current market needs and challenges. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.