A

algorithm: a step-by-step procedure used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning.

A method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Starting from an initial state and initial input (perhaps empty), the instructions describe a computation that, when executed, proceeds through a finite number of well-defined successive states, eventually producing "output" and terminating at a final ending state. Often represented by a diagram known as a “flowchart” which shows the steps as boxes of various kinds, in order connected with arrows.

analog: representing information using a continuous function, as opposed to digital or discrete systems; describes the proportional relationship between a signal and a voltage or current that represents the signal. Analog circuits must be designed by hand, and the process is much less automated than for digital systems.

antenna check: part of the physical verification process for an IC in which yield and reliability problems during manufacture due to the “antenna effect” are avoided. Before signing-off an IC physical design/layout for fabrication, the Antenna Rule Check is therefore performed.

Fabs normally supply antenna rules (the allowable ratio for each interconnect layer of metal area to gate area) that must be obeyed to avoid the antenna effect. In general, antenna violations must be fixed by the router.

ARM: a family of instruction set architectures for computer processors based on a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) architecture developed by British company ARM Holdings. ARM architecture (32-bit) is the most widely used architecture in mobile devices, and the most popular 32-bit one in embedded systems.

ASCII (the American Standard Code for Information Interchange): (pronounced ask-ee) a code for representing English characters as numbers, with each letter assigned a number from 0 to 127. For example, the ASCII code for uppercase M is 77. Most computers use ASCII codes to represent text, which makes it possible to transfer data from one computer to another.

assertion: in HDL circuit design, a conditional statement that checks for specific behavior and displays a message if it occurs. Assertions do not model circuit activity, but capture and document the designer's intent in the HDL code. Assertions are generally used as monitors looking for bad behavior, but may be used to create an alert for desired behavior as well.

async crossing:

ATPG (Automatic Test Pattern Generation or Automatic Test Pattern Generator): an EDA method/technology used to find an input (or test) sequence that, when applied to a digital circuit, enables automatic test equipment (ATE) to distinguish between the correct circuit behavior and the faulty circuit behavior caused by defects.