The tool also supports inductance modeling on optical network drivers and 3G chips, said Rob Matthews, Sequence's technology development director.

Sequence (Santa Clara, Calif.) pioneered simplified inductance modeling and sees mutual inductance as the next rung.

The tool shows the interaction of signal lines. With devices and interconnect so closely packed in systems-on-chips, signal timing and signal integrity are tougher to predict. Magnetic field solvers, traditionally used in simulating inductive coupling effects, tend to be slow.

"Inductance modeling should be fast and practical," Matthews said. The Columbus RF tool employs what he called a "decomposition method," typically used to extract resistance and capacitive parasitics. Applied to inductance, the modeling technique allows a net-by-net analysis of inductive effects, he said.

Experiments have shown significant "next-neighbor" coupling on high-speed bus lines. But interconnects simulated without inductive coupling underestimated the impacts on clock delay and coupling noise, Matthews said. Nets examined for inductive effects showed 52 percent difference in clock delay and a 111 percent variation in slew rates.

Columbus-RF will be available with mutual inductance next month. The feature will be offered as an upgrade for existing customers. A one-year U.S. time-based license is priced at $87,500.