PrimeSim XA is a high-performance, SPICE-level circuit simulator from Synopsys, focused on analog, mixed-signal (AMS), and radio-frequency (RF) circuit verification. It is part of the broader PrimeSim™ Continuum solution, which is Synopsys's next-generation simulation environment aimed at replacing the legacy HSPICE® and CustomSim™ flows.

The core value proposition of PrimeSim XA is to provide gold-signal accurate SPICE verification for the most challenging designs (e.g., advanced FinFET nodes, memory, analog IP) while offering significant performance improvements and higher capacity than traditional SPICE simulators.

Key Expected Features & Enhancements in PrimeSim XA vX-2025.06

A version labeled "vX-2025.06" would represent a hypothetical future release (June 2025). Based on Synopsys' development trajectory, such a release would focus on several key areas:

1. Performance and Capacity for Advanced Nodes

• Enhanced Multi-Core/Multi-Machine Scalability: Continued optimization to leverage ever-increasing server core counts, speeding up transient, DC, and AC analyses for post-layout extracted circuits with billions of elements.

• Advanced Node Support (2nm/3nm, GAA FETs): Certified and optimized models and simulation algorithms for the latest process design kits (PDKs) from major foundries (TSMC, Samsung, Intel), including Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistors and backside power delivery.

• FastSPICE Technology Improvements: Enhancements to the built-in FastSPICE engine for even faster verification of large mixed-signal blocks and memory architectures without sacrificing accuracy.

2. Accuracy and Robustness

• Improved Convergence Algorithms: New and refined mathematical methods to handle difficult convergence points in complex analog circuits, reducing simulation failures and the need for manual intervention.

• Advanced Monte Carlo Analysis: Performance boosts for high-sigma (6σ+) Monte Carlo analysis, which is critical for evaluating yield and design robustness over process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) variations.

• Reliability Analysis: Tighter integration with Synopsys' PrimeReliability™ solution for aging analysis (e.g., BTI, HCI) to predict circuit degradation over its operational lifetime.

3. Usability and Integration

• Tighter Integration with Custom Compiler: Deeper links with Synopsys' custom design platform for a seamless "simulate-from-schematic" experience, with intelligent simulation setup and result visualization.

• Enhanced PrimeSim WaveView: Improvements to the native waveform viewer, including better performance with large dataset files (FSDB), advanced plotting, and debugging features for analog and mixed-signal results.

• Cloud-Native Execution: Enhanced support and orchestration for running massive simulation regression loads on cloud computing platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), with optimized licensing and data management.

4. Verification and Debug

• Convergence & Accuracy Debug Aids: Smarter diagnostics that not only report convergence failures but also suggest potential causes and solutions, pinpointing the problematic devices or nodes.

• APS (Accelerated Parallel Simulator) Mode Enhancements: Further blurring the lines between SPICE and FastSPICE by allowing more analyses to run in the high-performance APS mode with guaranteed SPICE accuracy.