January 2011 - Page 2 of 3 - Semiconductor Engineering

A Refreshing Opportunity
By Ed Sperling - 27 Jan, 2011 - Comments: 0

By Jack Harding Fifteen years after its debut as a silicon strategy the SoC is finally in full bloom worldwide. In its simplest configuration it consists of a processor, memory, I/O and the RTL crafted by the customer that defines its functionality and application. For each of the four major elements we have evolved down a different strategic path. For the processor, ARM, MIPS and a couple ... » read more

Missing The Point
By Kurt Shuler - 27 Jan, 2011 - Comments: 0

By Kurt Shuler A couple months ago a professor researching in my company’s technology space asked me, “Why doesn’t industry use our research?” I thought for a few seconds, then looked him in the eye: “Because much of it is off target.” My friend was taken aback for a second, but to his credit he wanted to know why I thought that. I explained that I recently read an articl... » read more

Models, Models, Models…
By Jon McDonald - 27 Jan, 2011 - Comments: 0

By Jon McDonald It's all about the models. Sometimes I get the feeling that progress is blazing along. Everyone I talk to is interested in ESL design. The value of the capabilities and possibility of dramatic impact on the design process is monumental. It's kind of like having an amazing sports car that will blow everything off the track but you are stuck on an island with no track and no way ... » read more

CES—The Morning After
By Bernard Murphy - 27 Jan, 2011 - Comments: 0

CES 2010 was quite a party, coming off the misery of 2008-2009. Tablets were everywhere, smart phones are racing ahead, the PC is dead. Our industry is reinventing the electronic experience yet again. I saw one forecast of a $1 trillion consumer electronics market within a few years. This is heady stuff. It restores hope not only in the future of electronics but also the possibility that electr... » read more

Embedded Computing Down To Two Major Camps
By Ed Sperling - 27 Jan, 2011 - Comments: 0

By Pallab Chatterjee The 2011 CES show was highlighted by the large number of tablet computers and mobile devices that support Internet access. The form factor for these devices is based on use models, but the computing capabilities are based on the power and operational life between charges. The platforms are drawing diving lines between x86 cores vs ARM cores, and CPUs vs GPUs. While on t... » read more

Drone Design Challenges
By Ed Sperling - 21 Jan, 2011 - Comments: 0

System-Level Design talks with Bob Bluth of the Naval Postgraduate School about UAV design and debug challenges--and what's inside of these devices. (The blue and green cellophane tape seal some of the access points prior to delivery--and the directions).   [youtube vid=wTsehbWwC8o] » read more

Low Power Dominates CES
By Ed Sperling - 13 Jan, 2011 - Comments: 0

By Pallab Chatterjee The 2011 Consumer Electronics Show was dominated by tablets and other mobile devices, and the common theme was communication and data access anywhere anytime. From a design perspective, that translates into two main systems targets and one major constraint. The two targets are wireless connectivity and high performance graphics. The major constraint is power use. The power... » read more

Trouble In The Patent Office
By Ed Sperling - 13 Jan, 2011 - Comments: 0

By Ed Sperling The next wave of patents being filed in the United States involves efficiency and power rather than simply speeding up performance of chips. But the patent system is moving so slowly these days that startups are unable to talk about what exactly they do, for fear of having their IP stolen, extending the time it takes to come out of stealth mode and arrange deals with potentia... » read more

Power Model Complexity Grows
By Ed Sperling - 13 Jan, 2011 - Comments: 0

By Ed Sperling The number of factors required for an effective power model has far surpassed the capabilities of even the most detailed spreadsheet at 45nm and beyond. It has now entered the realm of complex databases and architectural tradeoffs, and those tradeoffs will become even more complex as 3D stacking takes root over the next 24 months. The idea of modeling power is hardly new, but... » read more

Material Effects: Trading Performance For Power
By Ed Sperling - 13 Jan, 2011 - Comments: 0

By Ann Steffora Mutschler Power impacts everything, even when it comes to semiconductor manufacturing materials. While bulk CMOS technology still reigns supreme, there are a number of advanced materials being suggested as replacements when it runs out of steam at around 15nm, including silicon on insulator (SOI)—particularly in combination with FinFET multigate structures on SOI—silicon ge... » read more

← Older posts Newer posts →

  • Sponsors

About

Navigation

Connect With Us

Copyright ©2013-2024 SMG   |  Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy