How are emulation and prototyping used in VLSI verification?

Emulation and prototyping accelerate verification beyond simulation. Emulation: Custom hardware (Cadence Palladium, Synopsys ZeBu) running design at MHz speeds, supports hardware/software co-verification, transaction-based debug, and power analysis. FPGA prototyping: Design mapped to FPGA boards, runs at tens of MHz, good for software development and system validation. Use cases: Boot operating systems, run real workloads, stress testing, and performance validation. Tradeoffs: Emulation offers better debug and flexibility, prototyping offers speed and lower cost. Both complement simulation for complete verification coverage.