Advances in semiconductor process and design technology enable the design of complex system chips. Traditional IC design, in which every circuit is designed from scratch and reuse is limited to standard-cell libraries, is more and more replaced by a design style based on embedding large reusable modules, the so-called cores. This core-based design poses a series of new challenges, especially in the domains of manufacturing test and design validation and debug. This paper provides an overview of current industrial practices as well as academic research in these areas. We also discuss industry-wide efforts by VSIA and IEEE P1500 and describe the challenges for future research. 1

Integrated circuits are increasingly designed by embedding pre-designed reusable cores. IEEE P1500 Standard for Embedded Core Test (SECT) is a standard-under-development that aims at improving ease of reuse and facilitating interoperability with respect to the test of such core-based ICs, especially if they contain cores from different sources. This paper briefly describes IEEE P1500, and illustrates through a simplified example its dual compliance concept, its Scalable Hardware Architecture, and its Core Test Language. Note that this paper provides a preliminary, unapproved view on IEEE P1500. The standard is still under development, and this paper only reflects the view of five active participants of the standardization committee on its current status. 1

System chips are increasingly designed by embedding reusable cores. A core-based test strategy for such ICs is often attractive and sometimes even mandatory. IEEE P1500 SECT is a standard under development that standardizes a Core Test Language and a Core Wrapper, in order to facilitate plug-n-play core testing. In this paper, we describe how one standard supports both easy integration and interoperability as well as flexibility and scalability. Possible usage scenarios of the standard for core providers, core users, and EDA tool developers are sketched. 1