VLSI DV Interview Puzzles · All levels
Distribution Puzzles (`dist`, `:=` vs `:/`)
Translate every dist clause into per-value effective weights, then normalize; mixing := and :/ changes granularity and can dramatically skew outcomes.
About this puzzle set
Translate every dist clause into per-value effective weights, then normalize; mixing := and :/ changes granularity and can dramatically skew outcomes.
Puzzles in this topic
diagram
1. Case A vs Case B vs Trap Variant [Medium]
2. Small Range with := vs Large Range with :/ [Hard]
3. Loaded Die with Mixed Granularity [Easy]
4. dist After Hard Pruning [Hard]
5. Boolean dist Cascading into Value dist [Medium]
6. Zero Weight Means Never Chosen [Medium]Work each puzzle before reading the solution: predict the exact output or answer, name the rule that governs it, then check yourself.
Constraint solve order and dependency flow
diagram
CONSTRAINT SOLVE ORDER
rand bit [3:0] burst_len;
rand bit [7:0] addr;
constraints:
burst_len inside {[1:8]};
addr % burst_len == 0;
solve burst_len before addr;
solver picks burst_len first
then chooses addr satisfying alignment
Explicit solve order reduces ambiguity in interview puzzles.