Revolutionizing Chip Design with Siemens

Cracking the Code of Complex Chip Design: How Siemens Is Revolutionizing System-Level Prototyping

In today’s rapidly evolving tech landscape, the race to build faster, smarter, and more efficient systems has reached a tipping point. With AI workloads becoming more demanding and the rise of heterogeneous integration, semiconductor designers are no longer working with just a single chip—they're managing a system of chiplets all packed into a unified package.

This shift brings incredible performance advantages—but also unprecedented design complexity.

The Challenge: When Chiplets Collide with Complexity

Let’s break it down. Modern semiconductor designs, especially those tailored for AI, high-performance computing (HPC), and data centers, often consist of multiple interconnected dies or chiplets. These chiplets must communicate reliably, efficiently, and at low latency—without melting under pressure (literally).

One groundbreaking technology leading the charge is Intel Foundry’s EMIB (Embedded Multi-die Interconnect Bridge). EMIB allows for multiple dies to be connected using a small silicon bridge—without requiring a full interposer. It’s cost-effective and compact, but it’s also a designer’s nightmare if you’re using traditional disconnected workflows.

Power distribution, thermal performance, signal integrity, and functional verification become difficult to manage when teams are working across multiple EDA tools, spreadsheets, and manual processes. In such fragmented environments, errors multiply, and design time balloons.

The Siemens Solution: A Unified Digital Cockpit

To tackle this complexity head-on, Siemens Digital Industries Software has introduced a game-changing approach—a System-Level Prototyping and Planning Cockpit built around their Innovator3D IC™ solution. This cockpit enables teams to design, verify, analyze, and optimize an entire system of chiplets, EMIB bridges, and packages in one unified environment.

This isn’t just another tool—it’s a digital twin of your entire chip/package/PCB system. It lets you visualize and co-optimize every component early in the design phase, using predictive analysis tools that work even with incomplete data.

The Six-Step Siemens Workflow: A New Blueprint for Chiplet Design

In their latest eBook, Siemens outlines a six-step reference workflow using Intel Foundry's EMIB technology. Here’s a quick look at the process:

Step 1: Die, EMIB, and Package Co-Design

Designing everything together ensures tighter integration and avoids downstream rework. It aligns pinouts, interfaces, and package constraints from day one.

Step 2: Functional Verification of System Connectivity

Siemens provides early-stage connectivity checks across dies, packages, and EMIBs—reducing the risk of functional errors at later stages.

Step 3: Predictive Thermal Analysis

Tools like Calibre 3DThermal analyze heat distribution, helping teams make proactive layout changes before thermal issues become a problem.

Step 4: Physical Layout with Xpedition Package Designer

This stage involves detailed layout of the chip package, ensuring compliance with DRCs, signal flow, and performance parameters.

Step 5: Signal, Power, and Electromagnetic Analysis with HyperLynx

Signal integrity (SI), power integrity (PI), and electromagnetic interference (EM) are validated early—preventing late-stage surprises.

Step 6: 3D Assembly Verification Using Calibre 3DSTACK

A final full-stack verification ensures everything fits and functions correctly in the 3D assembly, including all mechanical, thermal, and electrical aspects.

Each step seamlessly integrates into the next, eliminating the inefficiencies of file transfers, format mismatches, and disconnected simulations.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

With the continued scaling of AI chips, automotive electronics, IoT, and edge computing, designers can no longer afford mistakes or bottlenecks in packaging. EMIB and similar technologies are pushing performance boundaries—but only if the design tools can keep up.

Siemens’ system-level cockpit and Innovator3D IC™ suite don’t just keep up—they lead.

By using a digital twin and predictive simulations, design teams can:

• Catch errors earlier

• Collaborate in real-time across disciplines

• Save months in development time

• Improve performance and reliability of the final product

Want to Dive Deeper?

If you're working on advanced packaging, system-in-package (SiP), or 3D IC design, Siemens’ eBook is a must-read. It’s packed with visuals, explanations, and real-world applications of Intel’s EMIB technology.

Download the eBook here

Explore the featured tools:

• Innovator3D IC

• Calibre 3DSTACK

• Calibre 3DThermal

• Xpedition Package Designer

• HyperLynx

• Tessent Silicon Lifecycle

Final Thoughts: The Future of Semiconductor Design

Designing next-gen chips is no longer about one silicon die—it’s about managing an ecosystem of chiplets, packaging, and performance metrics. System-level prototyping is the only way forward, and Siemens is setting the gold standard.

If your team is stepping into the world of multi-die integration and advanced packaging, don’t just stack your chips—stack your tools and data into one cockpit.

Source - Semiwiki