Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- start [2023/11/18 20:37] – [Asynchronous design] rajit
+++ start [2025/06/12 09:52] (current) – [The ACT VLSI Design Tools] rajit
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ====== The ACT VLSI Design Tools ======
-Welcome to the Wiki for the ACT suite of VLSI design tools. ACT is an **A**synchronous **C**ircuit **T**oolkit which has been built from scratch to support the design and implementation of asynchronous logic. While that is the main goal, some of the tools we have developed have also been used for designing synchronous logic. These tools have been developed primarily by [[http://csl.yale.edu/~rajit/|Rajit Manohar]] and his [[http://avlsi.csl.yale.edu/|research group]], and have a long [[history:|history]].
+Welcome to the Wiki for the ACT suite of VLSI design tools. ACT is an **A**synchronous **C**ircuit **T**oolkit which has been built from scratch to support the design and implementation of asynchronous logic. While that is the main goal,  the tools we have developed also support synchronous logic as a special case. These tools have been developed primarily by [[http://csl.yale.edu/~rajit/|Rajit Manohar]] and his [[http://avlsi.csl.yale.edu/|research group]], and have a long [[history:|history]].
+When an existing open-source tool used by mainstream chip designers can be re-purposed for asynchronous design without major issues (in terms of functionality as well as error-prone behavior), we re-use it. Examples include layout editors (e.g. ''magic''), switch-level simulators (e.g. ''irsim''), and analog simulators (e.g. ''Xyce'').
 ===== Asynchronous design =====
-  * [[tutorial:|Tutorials and class materials]]
+  * [[tutorial:|Tutorials]]: tutorial videos, as well as class materials and examples
-  * [[asic:start|ACT ASIC flow]]
+  * [[intro_example:start|ACT by example]]: a gentler introduction to ACT through examples
+  * [[asic:start|ACT ASIC flow]]: a summary of the steps in the overall ASIC flow using ACT
+===== Installation =====
+If you are interested in building the tools from scratch:
+      * [[install_actflow|actflow]]: use this if you want the full set of tools.
+      * [[install|ACT]]: use this if you only want the core language and some basic tools for custom circuit design. The [[install_actflow|actflow build]] installs this repository as well.
+We also have a [[summer2024:dockersetup|docker container]] that contains the tools, if you'd like to try them out without installing them on your system.
+If you are a Homebrew user, check out the [[https://github.com/asyncvlsi/homebrew-tap|homebrew tap]] for the tools.
 ===== ACT language =====
-  * [[install|Installing and building ACT]]
+The ACT language combined with a set of configuration files are used when designing circuits. The configuration files control some basic ACT behavior, and also include technology-specific information (e.g. what is the feature size, what are the transistor types available in the technology, etc.)
-  * [[language:|Language reference]], and a [[language:migrate|migration guide]] from the older version of ACT.
-  * [[config:|ACT configuration files]] needed for a new technology.
+  * [[language:|Language reference]]
-  * [[config:runtime|ACT runtime configuration]], used to adjust the operation of the core ACT library and/or passes.
+  * ACT configuration
+     *  [[config:|files]] needed for a new technology.
+     * [[config:runtime|runtime configuration]], used to adjust the operation of the core ACT library and/or passes.
+  * [[language:migrate|Migration guide]] from the older (pre-2018) version of ACT
   * [[history:|Language history/lineage]]
 ===== ACT library =====
+In addition to the core language, we also provide some standard ACT libraries that include common definitions/etc. for designing asynchronous circuits.
   * [[stdlib:|Standard library]]
-  * [[http://avlsi.csl.yale.edu/act_docs/|Using the ACT library]] (work in progress!)
+  * [[sim:|Simulation library]], installed together with [[tools:actsim|actsim]]; It provides tools for simulation and verification
-  * [[guide:|Guide to using ACT data structures]]
+For those interested in writing tools, we have some documentation available for the core ACT library and data structures.
+  * [[http://avlsi.csl.yale.edu/act_docs/|ACT data structures]] (work in progress!)
+  * [[guide:|Using ACT data structures]]
+  * [[guide:makefile|Using the standard Makefiles]] in ACT
 ===== Tools =====