Organizing Team: UCSD, Fudan University, POSTECH
Co-Chairs
Dr. Yiting Liu, UCSD ABKGroup [yil375@ucsd.edu]
Prof. Zhiang Wang, Fudan University [zhiangwang@fudan.edu.cn]
- Contest description: ISPD26_contest_description.pdf
- Benchmarks: Public and hidden benchmarks.
- Platform/ASAP7: Technology platform files and libraries for the ASAP7 PDK.
- Evaluation scripts: Evaluation scripts for aes_cipher_top, jpeg_encoder, ariane and bsg_chip.
- Equivalence check: Scripts for validating equivalence between pre-optimization and post-optimization netlists for ASAP7 designs.
- Docker containers and submission formatting: Dockerfile and commands required to maintain a consistent evaluation and submission environment can be found at the
README.
- Registration Open: Oct 1, 2025
- Release the first set of benchmarks, evaluation scripts and Docker image: Oct. 1, 2025
- Release the second set of benchmarks (with placement blockages): Nov. 9, 2025
- Registration Close: Nov 30, 2025
- Release one large-scale testcase: Dec. 1, 2025
- Release one large-scale testcase with placement blockages; all public benchmarks are available: Dec. 3, 2025
- Alpha Submission Deadline: Jan 12, 2026
- Beta Submission Deadline: Feb, 2, 2026
- Final Submission Deadline: Mar, 7, 2026 (Anywhere on earth, and it is a hard deadline)
- Results Announcement: March 18, 2026
Email: ispd26contest@gmail.com
- Registration has closed.
- Registration window: Oct.1, 2025 - Nov 30, 2025
- We confirm that we’ve received the registration forms from the following teams. If we overlooked your registration or any related information, please feel free to email us.
| ID | Team Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horiguchi Takahiro | Unknown |
| 2 | XidianU | Xidian University |
| 3 | Marvin | Indian Institute of Technology Madras |
| 4 | IITM Placement Cell | Indian Institute of Technology, Madras |
| 5 | GT | georgia tech |
| 6 | PKU | Peking University |
| 7 | m0654 | Yuan Ze University |
| 8 | nvBuffplace | NVIDIA |
| 9 | HKUST-GZ | The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) |
| 10 | arg_duck | Independent |
| 11 | Placed and Confused | Chair of Design Automation, Technical University of Munich (TUM) |
| 12 | ChipFat | Vellore Institute of Technology |
| 13 | UCLA_Placer | UCLA |
| 14 | IRISLab | Graduate Institute of Electronics Engineering, National Taiwan University |
| 15 | timing-booster | Texas A&M University |
| 16 | lololol | Department of Electrical Engineering,National Taiwan University of Science and Technology |
| 17 | ECOS-OPT | Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences |
| 18 | have a try | Sun Yat-Sen University |
| 19 | poSTer | southeast university |
| 20 | Anti_Chaos | Southeast University |
| 21 | Wild at heart | National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University |
| 22 | BFS | Yuan Ze University |
| 23 | Encoding | National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University |
| 24 | ECOS-OPT | Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences |
| 25 | NYCUVDALAB | Institute of Electronics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung Unniversity |
| 26 | The Phoenix Gate Guardians | The Chinese University of Hong Kong |
| 27 | \(^(oo)^)/ | National Tsing Hua University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong |
| 28 | Masters of Chatgpt | Yuan Ze University |
| 29 | HLFC | National Tsing Hua University |
| 30 | ECO | Independent |
| 31 | PTSD | National Tsing Hua University |
| 32 | TCLAB | National Tsing Hua University |
| 33 | IRISLab | Graduate Institute of Electronics Engineering National Taiwan University |
| 34 | warp_speed | Indian Institute of Technology Madras |
| 35 | XORcists | Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya |
| 36 | EDAnh | National Taiwan University of Science and Technology |
13 final submissions were made. One team subsequently withdrew their submission.
Next year, we will use more rigorous evaluations (e.g., only on hidden testcases) and explicit policies to reinforce the spirit of the competition.
| Rank | Team | Total Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team33 | 1438.06 | |
| 2 | Team31 | 1314.93 | |
| 3 | Team29 | 1301.32 | |
| OpenROAD RSZ | 1107.55 | script | |
| pre_opt | 0 | contest.def without any optimization |
| Design Name | TNS (ps) | Dynamic Power (mW) | Leakage Power (mW) | Cap Over Sum | Slew Over Sum | Fanout Over Sum | Max GR Overflow | Total GR Overflow | Tool Runtime | Flow Runtime | Avg Disp (dbu) | Design Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aes_cipher_top | -44.42 | 51.69 | 0.0078 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 340.64 | 8.5 | 0.37 | 123.17 |
| aes_cipher_top_v2 | -43.69 | 131.99 | 0.0061 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 378.90 | 6.0 | 0.42 | 120.48 |
| ariane | -6,377.76 | 137.21 | 4.79 | 15.13 | 2,187.73 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,581.67 | 80.5 | 0.51 | 94.33 |
| ariane_v2 | -4,277.14 | 137.19 | 4.81 | 11.39 | 328.72 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1,240.62 | 50.5 | 0.49 | 88.39 |
| bsg_chip | -44,875.21 | 747.20 | 28.80 | 98.01 | 40,659.66 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,580.50 | 1,035.0 | 0.62 | 88.55 |
| bsg_chip_v2 | -18,877.64 | 1,491.40 | 28.60 | 179.51 | 47,134.73 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6,346.50 | 557.0 | 0.59 | 93.06 |
| jpeg_encoder | -488.89 | 93.60 | 0.0047 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 774.46 | 9.5 | 0.28 | 145.62 |
| jpeg_encoder_v2 | -474.07 | 117.00 | 0.0040 | 0.04 | 14.43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 746.44 | 10.0 | 0.42 | 138.14 |
| ariane_h1 | -4,368.32 | 148.18 | 4.82 | 8.66 | 1,340.43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,598.64 | 69.0 | 0.50 | 75.08 |
| ariane_h2 | -3,271.86 | 157.14 | 4.86 | 6.61 | 993.40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,722.51 | 76.5 | 0.66 | 73.45 |
| bsg_chip_h1 | -21,542.37 | 727.40 | 28.60 | 106.67 | 39,769.80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,405.50 | 511.5 | 0.65 | 77.62 |
| bsg_chip_h2 | -21,505.02 | 789.40 | 28.60 | 76.44 | 33,502.37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,466.00 | 1,075.5 | 0.58 | 82.86 |
| Design Name | TNS (ps) | Dynamic Power (mW) | Leakage Power (mW) | Cap Over Sum | Slew Over Sum | Fanout Over Sum | Max GR Overflow | Total GR Overflow | Tool Runtime | Flow Runtime | Avg Disp (dbu) | Design Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aes_cipher_top | -62.90 | 62.39 | 0.0128 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19.38 | 8.0 | 0.01 | 113.71 |
| aes_cipher_top_v2 | -52.11 | 242.99 | 0.0137 | 0 | 0.29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57.12 | 6.0 | 0.16 | 99.02 |
| ariane | -18,493.99 | 140.19 | 4.81 | 0 | 46.74 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,279.69 | 78.0 | 0.02 | 95.94 |
| ariane_v2 | -22,177.20 | 140.15 | 4.85 | 0.02 | 0.08 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1,523.53 | 61.0 | 0.03 | 81.09 |
| bsg_chip | -116,298.92 | 760.80 | 29.20 | 0 | 408.07 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,259.31 | 1,082.5 | 0.02 | 80.12 |
| bsg_chip_v2 | -85,359.99 | 1,720.10 | 29.90 | 0.02 | 477.97 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,744.01 | 555.5 | 0.03 | 83.27 |
| jpeg_encoder | -862.06 | 100.99 | 0.0129 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 153.05 | 10.5 | 0.04 | 142.89 |
| jpeg_encoder_v2 | -1,154.62 | 148.99 | 0.0050 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32.98 | 10.0 | 0.04 | 132.03 |
| ariane_h1 | -10,840.31 | 152.11 | 4.89 | 0 | 107.15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 470.74 | 62.0 | 0.02 | 68.98 |
| ariane_h2 | -12,004.41 | 158.13 | 4.87 | 0 | 83.93 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 837.54 | 78.5 | 0.02 | 49.98 |
| bsg_chip_h1 | -67,533.41 | 742.90 | 29.10 | 0.09 | 849.62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,150.27 | 485.5 | 0.02 | 73.14 |
| bsg_chip_h2 | -75,461.08 | 799.80 | 29.20 | 0 | 590.33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,152.70 | 849.0 | 0.02 | 78.20 |
| Design Name | TNS (ps) | Dynamic Power (mW) | Leakage Power (mW) | Cap Over Sum | Slew Over Sum | Fanout Over Sum | Max GR Overflow | Total GR Overflow | Tool Runtime | Flow Runtime | Avg Disp (dbu) | Design Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aes_cipher_top | -66.69 | 60.89 | 0.0125 | 0 | 2.86 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24.56 | 8.5 | 0.00 | 113.58 |
| aes_cipher_top_v2 | -41.27 | 239.98 | 0.0162 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 132.10 | 6.0 | 0.14 | 105.49 |
| ariane | -18,254.21 | 140.20 | 4.80 | 0 | 46.91 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,313.73 | 75.5 | 0.02 | 96.04 |
| ariane_v2 | -15,890.82 | 140.07 | 4.93 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2,579.78 | 50.5 | 0.03 | 82.92 |
| bsg_chip | -120,350.04 | 759.70 | 29.30 | 0.01 | 671.09 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,384.53 | 1,714.0 | 0.02 | 78.41 |
| bsg_chip_v2 | -48,214.92 | 1,730.00 | 30.00 | 0.08 | 484.40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3,983.74 | 669.5 | 0.03 | 86.36 |
| jpeg_encoder | -1,207.15 | 99.99 | 0.0050 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 102.94 | 9.5 | 0.03 | 143.08 |
| jpeg_encoder_v2 | -1,730.19 | 147.00 | 0.0050 | 0 | 0.82 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 66.95 | 10.0 | 0.03 | 129.77 |
| ariane_h1 | -13,434.62 | 151.19 | 4.81 | 0 | 68.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,098.28 | 61.0 | 0.02 | 65.01 |
| ariane_h2 | -16,344.31 | 157.18 | 4.82 | 0 | 113.05 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 968.35 | 70.5 | 0.03 | 35.93 |
| bsg_chip_h1 | -67,533.41 | 742.90 | 29.10 | 0.09 | 849.62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,384.47 | 488.5 | 0.02 | 73.06 |
| bsg_chip_h2 | -75,461.08 | 799.80 | 29.20 | 0 | 590.33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,198.18 | 1,220.0 | 0.02 | 77.85 |
| Design | Top Team | Note |
|---|---|---|
| aes | Team33 | |
| aes_v2 | Team33 | |
| ariane | Team29 | |
| ariane_v2 | Team33 | |
| bsg_chip | Team33 | |
| bsg_chip_v2 | Team33 | |
| jpeg | Team33 | |
| jpeg_v2 | Team33 | |
| ariane_h1 | Team6 | hidden testcase |
| ariane_h2 | Team33 | hidden testcase |
| bsg_chip_h1 | Team6 | hidden testcase |
| bsg_chip_h2 | Team6 | hidden testcase |
- First, second and third place winning teams will receive prizes consisting of cash and/or NVIDIA GPUs, with a total value of prizes at least USD $5000. Thanks to NVIDIA for their sponsorship of the ISPD26 contest prizes!
- Andrew B. Kahng, Sayak Kundu, Yiting Liu, and Davit Markarian from UCSD
- Zhiang Wang from Fudan University
- Seokhyeong Kang and Seonghyeon Park from POSTECH
- Purdue University and the NSF Chipshub: compute resources for teams and submission evaluation
- NVIDIA: prizes for winning teams
Feel free to open a GitHub issue if you have any questions.