Migrating to the Advanced Flow - Migrating to the Advanced Flow - 2025.2 English - UG904

Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Implementation (UG904)

Document ID
UG904
Release Date
2025-11-20
Version
2025.2 English

You can migrate Versal designs created before 2024.2 to the Advanced Flow. Upgrading to the Advanced Flow requires some extra considerations than when compared to a typical project upgrade due to a Vivado version change. You might not want to migrate designs in production or designs nearing completion, especially if you have invested many iterations to improve timing. Or if you depend on features such as Intelligent Design Runs that the Advanced Flow does not support.

You can not reuse place and route data from the 2024.1 and earlier Vivado versions in the Advanced Flow. This impacts DFX platform designs where the static logic is created using a pre-2024.2 version of Vivado. Refer to Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Dynamic Function eXchange (UG909) for more details about DFX designs with Advanced Flow.

For the latest information about Advanced Flow migration, check Answer Record 000036830.

For Vivado projects, automatic migration takes place when you open a Vivado project in a later Vivado version. The migration process modifies the project's implementation runs to ensure to use only Advanced Flow–supported commands. After migrating a Versal project to Advanced Flow, you cannot open it in earlier Vivado versions. Therefore, back up the project under revision control. For non-project users, modify minor scripts. The areas modified are captured below:

Table 1. Migration to the Advanced Flow
Feature Project Flow Impact Non Project Impact Commands
Implementation Runs

Implementation runs are reset

Strategy is mapped to equivalent strategy if it exists, else default

Modify place_design command line:

place_design -directive <..>

-net_delay_weight <..>

-subdirective <..>

Custom run strategy Mapped to default strategy  
Place Design Default VTree Changed from InterSLR to Balanced place_design -clock_vtree_type <..>
Intelligent Design Runs Run is deleted n/a
Incremental Implementation Mapped to default strategy

Remove the following commands:

read_checkpoint -incremental

report_incremental_reuse

ML Strategy Mapped to default strategy

Remove commands with the following directives:

opt_design -directive RQS

place_design -directive RQS

phys_opt_design -directive RQS

route_design -directive RQS

Auto directives Mapped to default strategy

Remove commands with the following directives:

place_design -directive Auto_1, Auto_2, and Auto_3

Power Opt Design Power opt design is disabled as part of strategy migration

Remove the following commands:

power_opt_design

report_power_opt

set_power_opt

ECO Incremental placer is no longer used. Standard place is used instead with eco switch. No change to route_design for ECO

New command to use:

place_design -eco -no_timing_driven

For more information, refer to the following documents: