The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for mapping platform-based
design to multiple foundry processes. According to an exemplary aspect of the present
invention, a predefined (or pre-specified) slice is successfully mapped on to a
first fabrication process with a first set of design rules to produce a first result.
Then the slice's ability to be mapped to a second fabrication process with a second
set of design rules is evaluated to produce a second result. Next, the comparison
between the two results is computed to produce a third result. The third result
may be then used to modify the slice architecture, optimize the metalization process
and/or modify the first or second fabrication process. The slice definition, the
first set of design rules, the second set of design rules, the first result, the
second result, and the third result may be stored into a database. With such a
database established, new platform-based designs may be mapped to existing foundries,
and existing platform-based designs may be mapped to new foundries within a time
interval (e.g., hours) much shorter than the 18 months required by typical manual
mapping processes.