Tau Simulation: TauSim Frequently Asked Questions

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TauSim Frequently Asked Questions

Is TauSim full IEEE-compatible Verilog?
What if I need some Verilog features that are not supported in the current release of TauSim?
Does TauSim work with SignalScan/Debussy/etc. waveform viewers?
Is TauSim really twice as fast as competing Verilog simulators?
Why is TauSim priced at only $20K per license?
Why is Tau offering a $6K annual lease option for TauSim?
What kind of volume discounts are available for TauSim?
What kind of support is available for TauSim?
What are the main reasons for using TauSim instead of another Verilog simulator?
Why haven't I ever heard of TauSim?
Why is TauSim so fast?
How can I evaluate TauSim?

Is TauSim full IEEE-compatible Verilog?
No, TauSim is a commonly-used subset of IEEE, with the addition of Tau's REX algorithm for improved X value propagation.

What if I need some Verilog features that are not supported in the current release of TauSim?
We often work closely with customers to add support for new features, as part of our ongoing plan to support full IEEE in the future. If you have a set of Verilog features you'd like to see added to TauSim, contact us and we'll be happy to discuss implementing them.

Does TauSim work with SignalScan/Debussy/etc. waveform viewers?
Yes, TauSim currently produces Verilog-standard VCD files, and will produce the viewer-specific formats as requested by customers.

Is TauSim really twice as fast as competing Verilog simulators?
Yes, on the large customer designs we've seen run both on TauSim and on other commercial Verilog simulators, TauSim seems to be roughly twice as fast. Every design is different, and the best way to determine how your design will perform is to run it on TauSim and compare it against your current simulators.

Why is TauSim priced at only $20K per license?
Since TauSim does not currently support the full IEEE Verilog language, we are currently pricing it below full-Verilog products.

Why is Tau offering a $6K annual lease option for TauSim?
We want to encourage customers to use TauSim on their design projects, and the lease option reduces the risk of trying a new tool. Based on the level of satisfaction of our customers, we are confident that new TauSim users will want to continue using TauSim. So we are willing to take on some of that risk ourselves.

What kind of volume discounts are available for TauSim?
We negotiate every volume sale individually, and factor in the development, support, and payment needs of the customer to arrive at a deal which is advantageous for both Tau and the customer. We have reached 100+ quantity agreements with both SGS-Thomsen and Motorola, and we are very flexible about providing for the individual needs of the customer.

What kind of support is available for TauSim?
We provide any level of support from none-at-all to cooperative development and sharing of TauSim source code. The standard $3K annual support includes all general purpose new releases and bug fixes, plus advice and assistance in tracking down problems you encounter using TauSim in your environment.

What are the main reasons for using TauSim instead of another Verilog simulator?
TauSim is roughly twice as fast, and costs roughly half as much. Also, our REX algorithm helps find design bugs that might go unnoticed with standard Verilog simulators.

Why haven't I ever heard of TauSim?
For the past 5 years, we have worked primarily with a few high-volume simulation customers and have focused most of our energy on product development and customer support. As our supported Verilog subset grows, TauSim is suitable for use by a growing fraction of Verilog users. So we are branching out into the general-purpose Verilog marketplace, and planning to provide the same performance, cost, and accuracy advantages to a larger number of customers.

Why is TauSim so fast?
TauSim has been designed from scratch for performance. It uses a synchronous interpreted simulation algorithm which is fundamentally different than either an event-driven or compiled-code algorithm and has inherent performance advantages. One of the advantages of this algorithm is the extremely small memory footprint required at run time, which results in fewer cache misses with resulting higher simulation speed.

How can I evaluate TauSim?
There are 2 main ways to evaluate TauSim:

You can request an evaluation copy of TauSim and try it in your environment. This is the most secure way to run a proprietary design through TauSim since you can do everything in-house. We'll provide support as needed to enable you to do a thorough eval.
You can arrange to send us your design and we will do most of the work of getting the design running, especially if your design requires TauSim language extensions. Depending on the size of the task we may negotiate a fee for this service or incorporate it into a purchase agreement.