Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1457913
72 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2022 model fidelity at the right time. Just because you have the most accurate model possible doesn't mean you can do anything with it. For example, simulating every signal on a board is compute-intensive—imagine doing that across a system-of-systems, simultaneously consid- ering multiple disciplines like signal, power, thermal, and structural integrity. While highly abstract models are the only thing that exist in early architecture decomposition, they actu- ally prove more valuable when considering sys tem-level trade-offs across multiple domains at any point in the design process. Some higher-level requirements can be verified at only the lower levels because they necessitate some white box testing (using detailed models of the inner workings). is makes a bottom-up flow essential, in which you start with the lowest level models and work your way up by merging them together— verify the components, then assemblies, then subsystems, then systems, and even systems- Note that there are two ways to leverage dig- ital twins: 1. Analysis (oen during decomposition and design) to consider trade-offs and optimize a design (ideally automated and leveraging artificial intelligence). 2. Verification to ensure compliance against a requirement or derived design rule. As a design progresses down the le side of the V (from high-level requirements through systems-level architectures to component- level implementations), the digital models increase in fidelity (from very abstract to very realistic). Likewise, as a product progresses from high-level requirements (top le) to sys- tem-level validation (top right), the model of the integrated system increases in fidelity. To ensure errors are found and fixed as soon as possible, verification must be done continu- ously—from concept to production. e chal- lenge is to leverage the appropriate level of Figure1: Product development requires continuous verification throughout the design process, with a model of appropriate fidelity for each step.