The IEEE has approved a standard that will enable the creation and exchange of intellectual property blocks in an automated design environment.

IEEE 1685, titled "Standard for IP-XACT, Standard Structure for Packaging, Integrating and Re-Using IP Within Tool-Flows," describes an XML Schema for meta-data documenting IP used in the development, implementation and verification of electronic systems and an Application Programming Interface (API) to provide tool access to the meta-data.

"As designs get larger and more complex, the electronics industry is using increasing numbers of IP blocks in its designs," said Victor Berman, chair of the IEEE Computer Society Design Automation Standards Committee, which sponsored the standard.

"Until now there has been no standard description of those blocks, which has made their use both difficult and prone to error, all of which has placed a substantial financial burden on the electronics industry. This standard will finally help solve that problem."

The schema defined in IEEE 1685 provides a standard method to document IP that is compatible with automated integration techniques. The API provides a standard method for linking tools into a system development framework, enabling a more flexible development environment.

The intent is that tools compliant with this standard will be able to interpret, configure, integrate and manipulate IP blocks that comply with the proposed IP meta-data description.