Learning Paths
Structured roadmaps designed to take you from beginner to expert. Choose the path that matches your current goal.
1. Beginner Verification Path
Start here if you are new to VLSI verification. This path builds the essential mental models needed before tackling complex frameworks.
-
Digital Basics - Logic, numbering systems, and basic circuits.
-
Verilog HDL - The language of hardware design.
-
SystemVerilog Basics - Data types and procedural blocks.
-
Simple Testbench Concepts - How to drive and monitor signals.
2. SystemVerilog → UVM Path
The standard industry progression. Master Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) in SV before seeing how UVM standardizes it.
-
SV OOP - Classes, inheritance, and polymorphism.
-
Interfaces - Connecting testbenches to hardware.
-
Randomization - Constrained random verification (CRV).
-
Virtual Interfaces - The bridge between dynamic objects and static hardware.
-
UVM Components - Drivers, Monitors, Agents, and Scoreboards.
3. Protocol Verification Path
Deep dive into standard protocols. Learn how to verify complex bus behaviors, not just read the spec.
-
AXI Basics - Channels, handshake, and architecture.
-
AXI Ordering - Detailed transaction ordering and ID rules.
-
Common Deadlocks - How to avoid and debug protocol hangs.
-
Assertions (SVA) - Formalizing protocol rules.
-
Coverage Strategy - Measuring verification completeness.
4. Interview Fast Track
Focus on the "gotcha" questions and deep reasoning that interviewers actually testing for.
-
SV Traps - Race conditions, scheduling, and tricky semantics.
-
UVM Traps - Phases, TLM, and config_db pitfalls.
-
AXI Patterns - Protocol coherency and corner cases.
-
Debug Reasoning - Evaluating synchronization and thread communication.