ECONOMICS OF PROGRAMMABLE SYSTEM COMPONENTS.

Integrated circuits having complexity levels approaching one million devices per chip (VLSI) present significant problems in the cost of design and use. There are advocates for very capable design automation techniques coupled with rapid turnaround front ends as the path to VLSI. Others advocate the use of programmable devices such as microcomputers and gate arrays. Cost models are presented for these two approaches which demonstrate that the Programmable System Component (PSC) approach is the only viable path in VLSI. Also described is a set of generic PSCs which will meet the needs of 70%-80% of the sockets, and perhaps 95% of the production volume for VLSI components. The remaining 20%-30% of the sockets and 5% of the volume will be served by specific, nonprogrammable designs.