What kind of ASIC designer is better off, frontend or backend?

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Re: Frontend vs. Backend

i would recommend frontend rather backend coz u have more scope added to that here the subject is vast and can learn all the electronics while implementing. we can go the dsp, communication or any.
 

Frontend vs. Backend

gud srikanth... so FRONT end is more challenging than backend ..wht r ur comments on this /??
 

Frontend vs. Backend

I thinks that FE and BE is not important,the important is that you like the job,whatever area you do,you can get succed
 
Frontend vs. Backend

Job satisfaction is another issue... but thing is scope shud be gud rite!!
as of now BE ppl r getting highly paid but thry hav lots of work load...
with little exp .. thry r earning fat amount
Shiv
 

Re: Frontend vs. Backend

shiv_emf said:
Job satisfaction is another issue... but thing is scope shud be gud rite!!
as of now BE ppl r getting highly paid but thry hav lots of work load...
with little exp .. thry r earning fat amount
Shiv
Click to expand...

Their market is relatively wider .. most of the backend jobs are contract based .. and most of the BE engineers can work for service companies .. unlike FE engineers .. most of them work for design companies ..
 

Re: Frontend vs. Backend

I am a fresh FE designer, some times i am confused: all time i am doing dynamic verification , like simulation, EC check, not RTL Coding. This job more like a verification Enginner.
 

Re: Frontend vs. Backend

littlebu said:
I am a fresh FE designer, some times i am confused: all time i am doing dynamic verification , like simulation, EC check, not RTL Coding. This job more like a verification Enginner.
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it depends on company!! directly on rtl coding without exp it big risk..so to get in touch with rtl design .. verification is must!!
Shiv
 

Re: Frontend vs. Backend

littlebu said:
I am a fresh FE designer, some times i am confused: all time i am doing dynamic verification , like simulation, EC check, not RTL Coding. This job more like a verification Enginner.
Click to expand...

Verification Engineer is not a bad job .. sometimes it's more important than design job .. yet, when we were students we got more design dosage than verification dosage .. and we learnt that designer is intellictual and whom is verifying his designs is less intellictual ..

In the industry world, RTL design needs skills but not smartness .. the one who puts the system specs, functional specs, and chip architecture might need to be more intellictual .. but this comes from experience and higher-level academia ..

Anyhow .. u need to have some RTL skills in order not to mess up with your verification ..
 

Re: Frontend vs. Backend


Thanks very much

During my years in the lab of school, I had be working base on the FPGA more than on the ASIC. So, more RTL design , less verification and some times we dont care timing......because re-implement is so easy on FPGA design.
so.. Right now, i need to learn some RTL skills and know well Specifications ? right?
Thanks again.
 

Frontend vs. Backend

After 5years or so ...tools will be automated n there will nt be any Backend design ...

is this statement true??
 

Re: Frontend vs. Backend

shiv_emf said:
After 5years or so ...tools will be automated n there will nt be any Backend design ...

is this statement true??
Click to expand...

Not True .. for big designs, backend flow needs human mind same as in frontend .. under all circumstances, human mind is not replaceable by any human-made product ..
 

Re: Frontend vs. Backend

It's not true . Human involve in the process is always necessary
 

Frontend vs. Backend

Hi folks,

FE Vs BE really its very interesting topic of discussion. Every field has its own importance in every aspect.

Here I will take example of power saving

By designing good RTL design we can save 60-70%,

But by doing good back end design (PR, Ckt & Layout) we can save only 10-20% of power which makes design to survive.

in figures we interpret FE is important but BE makes design to survive.
 

Re: Frontend vs. Backend

thanks for giving facts !!

FE involves lots of coding n BE involves lots of tool knowledge !!
 

Re: Frontend vs. Backend

I feel backend work is far tougher than front end. The front end job can be easily done with logic,algorithms,digital design and coding without going deep into electronics. So Backend is the challenging work. But with the advent of multicore architectures, frontend is having a great scope
 

Re: Frontend vs. Backend

Watching at the growing rate it seems what u said is going to happen.



shiv_emf said:
After 5years or so ...tools will be automated n there will nt be any Backend design ...

is this statement true??
Click to expand...
 

Re: Frontend vs. Backend

with every new process generation back-end challenges are increasing. FE is not directly depends on process migration.
 

Re: Frontend vs. Backend

1. To be honest: BE engineer is a tool engineer: his job is to run a tool where as FE engineer is a design engineer, he is responsible for wot the chip actually does.

2. 10years BE exp person: wot he knows is how to run tools.
10Years FE exp person: knows a lot about chip, hadfull of system specs, or may be some standard specs.

3. FE engg can switch to BE at any time where as BE from FE? the more experience you have of BE the more it is difficult to switch to FE. And if you have 10+ years of exp in BE, chances are : no FE for you my dear friend.

Kr,
Avi
 

Re: Frontend vs. Backend


really helpful reply .. thanks

one shud hav both FE n BE knowledge for better ASIC engineer

how far BE guy needs FE knowledge ? ... i think juzz data flow chart is enough for floorplanning

FE guys who r into rtl design ... do they need BE knowledge for better design ?
 

Re: Frontend vs. Backend



A BE guy may not have FE knowledge. I have seen in the companies I had worked for, that they have no idea about FE, yet they are good BE engineers.

Yes but for FE guy who is wriging RTL: he must understand BE, as he will have to think about timing. He will have to think, that apart from logic delays, there will be interconnect delays, delays like isolation cell delays if you are using them, delays like voltage domain crossing delays if you are using multi voltage, delays like DFT logic delays.
And last but not the least he has to know what process is he targetting. and how much as a rule of thumb, a single gate delay is on that process, so that he can think while writing rtl, how much approx would be the delay of a logic which depends upon say 'n' variables(signals)
 

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