What we deliver
Silicon bring-up
Power sequencing, clock and reset checks, JTAG access, boot ROM and first firmware on the validation board.
Functional validation
Test plans and test content that exercise IP blocks, power states and use cases on real silicon.
Electrical and interface validation
PCIe, DDR/LPDDR, USB and MIPI link training, eye margins, jitter and compliance-style testing with lab instruments.
PVT corner validation
Testing across voltage, temperature and process skew parts to find marginal behaviour before production.
Lab automation
Python and PyVISA frameworks that drive instruments, power supplies and thermal units, and log results for analysis.
Debug and root cause
Failure isolation using JTAG, on-chip debug instruments, logic analysers and correlation with pre-silicon simulation.
How we work
01
Validation planning
Before silicon arrives, engineers write the validation plan from the specification and pre-silicon verification results.
02
Board and infrastructure readiness
Validation boards, instrument setups and automation frameworks are prepared and checked on FPGA or early samples.
03
Bring-up
First silicon is powered, clocked and brought to a known state; blocking issues are escalated quickly to design.
04
Validation campaigns
Functional, electrical and corner campaigns run with automated logging; failures are triaged and tracked.
05
Sign-off and handover
Results, errata candidates and the automation code are handed to product, test and applications teams.
Interface validation coverage
| Interface | Typical validation activities |
|---|---|
| PCIe | Link training and equalisation, LTSSM state checks, receiver margining, power states (L0s/L1), interoperability |
| DDR / LPDDR | Training sequences, read/write eye margining, timing and voltage sweeps, stress patterns, refresh and self-refresh behaviour |
| USB | Enumeration, speed negotiation, signal quality, suspend and resume, device and host mode |
| MIPI CSI-2 / DSI / D-PHY | Lane configuration, high-speed and low-power transitions, skew and data integrity with sensors and panels |
Context: assembly and test in India, schedules and chiplets
Assembly and test capacity is arriving in India first. Micron's ATMP plant at Sanand, an assembly and test facility rather than a wafer fab, was inaugurated on 28 February 2026, as reported by Morung Express. Validation findings feed the production test programs that plants like this run, so validation and ATE teams increasingly work side by side.
Validation sits at the end of the schedule and absorbs upstream slips. An NI white paper estimates that validation can take 50 to 60 percent of new-product engineering effort, which is why reusable automation matters. Abstraction-layer frameworks that separate tests from instruments are now common, and AI-assisted debug and log triage are emerging; their benefits are not yet well evidenced, so engineers own every conclusion.
Chiplets and 3D-ICs change the plan. Die-to-die links such as UCIe need their own link training and margining checks, known-good-die decisions depend on how thoroughly each die was tested before assembly, and IEEE 1838 defines test access for stacked dies. Validation plans for multi-die parts cover each die, the die-to-die interfaces and the assembled package.
Post-silicon validation is part of our semiconductor testing service. To add validation engineers to your lab team, see semiconductor engineers.
Standards
- IEEE 1149.1 (JTAG)
- IEEE 1687
- IEEE 1838
Toolchains our engineers work with
- Keysight Infiniium
- Lauterbach TRACE32
- pytest
- Python
- PyVISA
- Tektronix
- Teledyne LeCroy
Related work
Case studies →Converting ATE test programs from Teradyne J750 to Advantest V93000 for an OSAT line
Porting a microcontroller family's final-test programs from J750 to V93000, with correlation, test-time analysis and STDF checks before release.
Staffing post-silicon validation automation and PVT characterization for a power-management IC
Test engineers in the customer's lab build Python and PyVISA automation, support PMIC bring-up and run PVT characterization sweeps.
Adding UVM verification and DFT engineers for a fabless tape-out crunch
Contract UVM verification and DFT engineers for a fabless tape-out push, with a coverage closure plan and onboarding into a secure EDA environment.
Further reading
All insights →Semicon 2.0 and the VLSI talent gap: hiring verification, DFT, post-silicon and ATE engineers
What Semicon 2.0's talent pillar changes for VLSI hiring, which roles stay scarce, and how fabless teams and OSATs can staff up.
Post-Silicon Validation and ATE in India’s OSAT Era: Lab Automation, Test Time and Chiplets
India's OSAT build-out and chiplets change post-silicon validation and ATE work. Lab automation, test-time levers and the engineers it takes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between post-silicon validation and production test?
Post-silicon validation checks that the design works as intended on real silicon, across use cases and corners, and finds design bugs. Production test, on ATE, screens each manufactured part for defects quickly and cheaply. Validation findings often feed the production test program.
When should validation engineers join the programme?
Ideally months before first silicon. Writing the validation plan, preparing boards and automation, and rehearsing on FPGA prototypes or emulation means bring-up starts on day one rather than after the lab is set up. Joining after silicon arrives is possible but usually slows the first weeks.
Which lab instruments do your engineers work with?
Our engineers work with high-bandwidth oscilloscopes from Keysight, Tektronix and Teledyne LeCroy, protocol analysers and exercisers, logic analysers, source-measure units, programmable power supplies and thermal forcing systems. Instruments are driven from Python through PyVISA or vendor APIs so that sweeps and corner runs are repeatable.
Do you provide the validation lab, or work in ours?
Most post-silicon work happens in the customer's lab because the boards, parts and instruments are there. Engineers can work on site in Bengaluru or support remotely through automation. Our labs and infrastructure page describes what we can host for specific engagements.
Can you build a reusable validation automation framework?
Yes. We typically build a Python framework with instrument abstraction layers, test sequencing in pytest or a similar runner, structured result logging and reporting. The aim is that the same tests can run on the next silicon revision or a derivative chip with configuration changes rather than rewrites.
How does validation change for chiplet and 3D-IC products?
Each die still needs functional and electrical validation, but the die-to-die interfaces become a validation target in their own right: UCIe or proprietary link training, margining and error handling, plus power and thermal interaction inside the package. Debug access is harder because internal links are not pinned out, so IEEE 1838 and on-die instruments matter more. Plans should be agreed with the DFT and test teams early.
Can we hire post-silicon validation engineers instead of outsourcing?
Yes. Post-silicon validation staffing is a common request from GCCs and fabless teams. Engineers can join your lab team under your leads. See hire VLSI engineers for roles and how hiring works, or request engineers directly.
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