Hardware Assisted Electronic Circuit Simulation System

In this proposal, we outline an approach for performing a complete electromagnetic analysis of electrical circuits in a fraction of the time that is currently possible. As clock rates increase, the need for such analysis grows. Current tools are inadequate to handle this burden. The computational times required excessively tax tools running on even the most state-of-the-art computers. To combat this problem, we propose developing a hardware-based accelerator capable of running the necessary calculations at speeds unachievable in software. This device will solve the systems of linear equations that arise in the relevant algorithms. By offloading this portion of the analysis to a special purpose hardware engine, computation times will plummet, thus making full simulations of complex electrical circuits possible. We will explore several algorithms for solving systems of linear equations and, by the end of phase I, implement the most promising one in hardware.