Testing & Validation

# Before the First Chip Ships Welcome to the world's most rigorous validation process, where we pro

# Before the First Chip Ships Welcome to the world's most rigorous validation process, where we prove a chip design works before spending billions on manufacturing. This is where theoretical becomes practical, where simulations meet silicon reality. ## Pre-Silicon Validation - Months of simulation across millions of scenarios - Hardware emulation running at fraction of real speed - Testing every corner case before cutting first silicon - Finding bugs when they're cheap to fix ## Characterization: Making Physics Behave - Testing across every possible operating condition * Voltage variations that would kill lesser chips * Temperature extremes from Arctic to Sahara * Process variations between different fabs * Clock frequency boundaries - Statistical analysis across thousands of test chips - Finding the real limits of theoretical designs ## Qualification: Breaking Chips So Users Don't Have To - High Temperature Operating Life (HTOL) testing - Temperature cycling that would destroy most electronics - Stress testing beyond specified limits - ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) validation - Package stress testing - Board-level validation ## The Final Verdict - Sign-off criteria that determine go/no-go - Documentation that protects billions in revenue - The moment when theory becomes reality This is where we ensure that when billions of chips are made, they'll all work as promised.

By Eduarda Ferreira