Patent ID: 8112728

Claim:
A method of optimizing a user design in a first compilation phase of a compilation process, the method comprising: receiving plurality of design goals for the user design; determining at least one set of design characteristic values for the user design; for each of at least a first portion and a second portion of the user design, determining, with a computer system for designing circuits, at least one performance metric value for each of the design goals, wherein the performance metric value for each design goal is determined by inputting the set of design characteristic values to a performance estimate model that accounts for a random variability in performance metric values associated with the design goal following a second compilation phase subsequent to the first compilation phase in the compilation process; identifying which of the design goals is most critical for the first portion of the user design based on the first portion's performance metric values; identifying which of the design goals is most critical for the second portion of the user design based on the second portion's performance metric values; optimizing, with the computer system, the first portion of the user design for the most critical design goal for the first portion; and optimizing, with the computer system, the second portion of the user design for the most critical design goal for the second portion.