Methods and Apparatus for Transforming the Function of an Integrated Circuit

A computer system that identifies and locates modules to be patched in a circuit to transforms the function of the circuit, wherein the circuit has a first register-transfer level (RTL) document and a first gate level (GTL) netlist being of an original specification, and has a second RTL document and a second GTL netlist being of a revised specification, the computer system comprising:

• a processor;
• a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions that when executed cause the processor to:
• identify a list of instances in the circuit to be modified by comparing the first RTL document with the second RTL document;
• locate a first list of modules in the circuit to be patched and a second list of modules to be preserved based on the list of instances to be modified and the first GTL netlist;
• and
• transform, along with an engineering change order (ECO) engine, the function of the circuit by patching the list of modules, wherein a GTL netlist of the patched circuit is equivalent to the second GTL netlist.

A computer-implemented method that improves performance of a computer system to transform the function of a circuit, the method comprising:

• receiving, by the computer system, a first register-transfer level (RTL) document of the circuit, the first RTL document being of an original specification;
• receiving, by the computer system, a second RTL document of the circuit, the second RTL document being of a revised specification, where the revised specification is modified from the original specification and has a transformed function from the original specification;
• generating, by the computer system, a first gate level (GTL) netlist of the circuit from the first RTL document;
• generating, by the computer system, a second GTL netlist of the circuit from the second RTL document;
• identifying, by the computer system, a list of instances in the circuit to be modified by comparing the first RTL document with the second RTL document;
• improving performance of the computer system by locating, by the computer system, a first list of modules in the circuit to be patched and a second list of modules to be preserved based on the list of instances to be modified and the first GTL netlist;
• and
• transforming, by the computer system and an engineering change order (ECO) engine, the function of the circuit by patching the first list of modules,
• wherein a GTL netlist of the patched circuit is equivalent to the second GTL netlist;
• and the preservation of the second list of modules reduces resource usage of the computer system in the transformation.