Chip Industry Week In Review


By Adam Kovac, Gregory Haley, and Liz Allan. The U.S. government released a 61-page report, titled "National Strategy on Microelectronics Research,” by the Subcommittee On Microelectronics Leadership. It provides a framework for government, industry, academia, and international allies to address four major goals. Synopsys  acquired Intrinsic ID, which develops physical unclonable func... » read more

Silicon Photonics Manufacturing Ramps Up


Circuit scaling is starting to hit a wall as the laws of physics clash with exponential increases in the volume of data, forcing chipmakers to take a much closer look at silicon photonics as a way of moving data from where it is collected to where it is processed and stored. The laws of physics are immutable. Put simply, there are limits to how fast an electron can travel through copper. The... » read more

Chip Industry Week In Review


By Jesse Allen, Gregory Haley, and Liz Allan Intel officially launched Intel Foundry this week, claiming it's the "world's first systems foundry for the AI era." The foundry also showed off a more detailed technology roadmap down to expanded 14A process technology. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger noted the foundry will be separate from the chipmaker, utilize third-party chiplets and IP, and leverage... » read more

Why Chiplets Are So Critical In Automotive


Chiplets are gaining renewed attention in the automotive market, where increasing electrification and intense competition are forcing companies to accelerate their design and production schedules. Electrification has lit a fire under some of the biggest and best-known carmakers, which are struggling to remain competitive in the face of very short market windows and constantly changing requir... » read more

Fan-Out Panel-Level Packaging Hurdles


Fan-out panel-level packaging (FOPLP) promises to significantly lower assembly costs over fan-out wafer-level packaging, providing the relevant processes for die placement, molding and redistribution layers (RDLs) formation can be scaled up with equivalent yield. There is still much work to be done before that happens. Until now, FOPLP has been adopted for devices that are manufactured in ve... » read more

Many More Hurdles In Heterogeneous Integration


Advanced packaging options continue to stack up in the pursuit of “More than Moore” and higher levels of integration. It has become a place where many high-density interconnects converge, and where many new and familiar problems need to be addressed. The industry’s first foray into fine-pitch multi-die packaging utilized silicon interposers with through-silicon vias (TSVs) to deliver s... » read more

Proprietary Vs. Commercial Chiplets


Large chipmakers are focusing on chiplets as the best path forward for integrating more functions into electronic devices. The challenge now is how to pull the rest of the chip industry along, creating a marketplace for third-party chiplets that can be chosen from a menu using specific criteria that can speed time to market, help to control costs, and behave as reliably as chiplets developed in... » read more

Chip Industry Week In Review


By Jesse Allen, Gregory Haley, and Liz Allan Synopsys acquired Imperas, pushing further into the RISC-V world with Imperas' virtual platform technology for verifying and emulating processors. Synopsys has been building up its RISC-V portfolio, starting with ARC-V processor IP and a full suite of tools introduced last month. The first high-NA EUV R&D center in the U.S. will be built at... » read more

Big Shifts In Power Electronics Packaging


The power semiconductor market is poised for remarkable growth in the next several years, fueled by the adoption of electric vehicles and renewable energy, but it also driving big changes in the packaging needed to protect and connect these devices. Packaging is playing an increasingly critical role in the transition to higher power densities, enabling more efficient power supplies, power deli... » read more

IC Manufacturing Targets Less Water, Less Waste


Fabs, OSATs, and equipment makers are accelerating their efforts to consume less water while recycling more material waste in a trend toward better sustainability. With chips, sustainability is heavily focused on carbon emissions, and energy consumption is a significant contributor. But there is an equal effort underway to reduce water consumption and pollution. Across the globe, the number ... » read more

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