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Ann Mutschler

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Ann Mutschler is senior executive editor at Semiconductor Engineering.

Author's Latest Posts

Power/Performance Bits: Feb. 4
By Ann Mutschler - 04 Feb, 2014 - Comments: 0

Lead halide perovskites Paving the way to the design of photovoltaic converters with improved efficiency, researchers at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) said they have uncovered the mechanism by which solar cells based on lead iodide perovskite light-absorbing semiconductor transfer electrons along their surface. Photovoltaic systems based on lead halide perovskite are a n... » read more

The Uncertain Future Of Fabless Semis
By Ann Mutschler - 30 Jan, 2014 - Comments: 1

As with most things, perspective is everything, this is especially true when it comes to changes in the semiconductor ecosystem. Some industry watchers say indicators clearly point to a shift happening where system OEMs again make the decisions about what is in a chip, both software and hardware, pointing to Apple, Samsung, Microsoft and Intel as prime examples. As a result, the fabless semicon... » read more

How To Speed Up Verification
By Ann Mutschler - 30 Jan, 2014 - Comments: 0

Software requirements have changed the tapeout process in today’s SoCs so much that it isn’t uncommon to hear a design can’t be released because Android hasn’t booted. “It’s one of those things where you really understand that what used to be classic hardware verification that said ‘the chip is done’ is heavily impacted by if it actually does software things,” noted Frank S... » read more

System Bits: Jan. 28
By Ann Mutschler - 28 Jan, 2014 - Comments: 0

Collaborative software for linking performance, cost Researchers from Georgia Tech have created a web-based tool that lets physically-separated participants collaborate on model-based systems engineering projects. Referred to as the Framework for Assessing Cost and Technology (FACT), the program utilizes open-source software components to allow users to visualize a system's potential expens... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Jan. 28
By Ann Mutschler - 28 Jan, 2014 - Comments: 0

E-whiskers From the world of nanotechnology, researchers with Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley are on the verge of electronic whiskers -- tactile sensors from composite films of carbon nanotubes and silver nanoparticles similar to the highly sensitive whiskers of cats and rats. These new e-whiskers respond to pressure as slight as a single Pascal, which is about the amount of pressure exerted o... » read more

System Bits: Jan. 21
By Ann Mutschler - 21 Jan, 2014 - Comments: 0

Metamaterial modeling Metamaterials -- artificial materials engineered to have properties that are not normally found in nature and being explored in a number of technologies such as perfect lenses, antennas and terahertz devices – are becoming more important to model. Modeling them is a difficult task considering their unconventional nature and delicate properties but researchers from Ecole... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Jan. 21
By Ann Mutschler - 21 Jan, 2014 - Comments: 0

Spinning towards superconduction With spintronics widely believed to be the basis of a future revolution in computing, researchers at the University of Cambridge are reporting what they said is the first evidence that superconductors could be used as an energy-efficient source for so-called “spin-based” devices, which are already starting to appear in electronic devices. Spintronic devi... » read more

Mostly Accurate Computing
By Ann Mutschler - 16 Jan, 2014 - Comments: 0

“Approximate computing” is a new concept in computers, allowing them to perform calculations for certain tasks that don’t require perfect accuracy with the goal of improving efficiency and reducing energy consumption. But do the concepts apply when it comes to managing power? And is there a philosophical approach when it comes to thinking about power management? To a large extent, that... » read more

Power’s Impact On Hierarchy Modification
By Ann Mutschler - 16 Jan, 2014 - Comments: 2

RTL restructuring in which the logical hierarchy of a design is modified is usually done to manage complex designs. When power management is added to this task, new challenges crop up. Consider switchable power or voltage domains, which are a common way to manage power is to use switchable power or voltage domains. When implementing this technique, all the logic in such a domain must hang of... » read more

Simple Does Not Mean Easy
By Ann Mutschler - 16 Jan, 2014 - Comments: 0

When it comes to chip design we speak constantly about managing complexity - how best to architect for it, how to manage it, what design techniques to use, what the impact on the system will be etc. - but we don't speak too much about making the design more simple. Instead, we heap on more complexity to manage the complexity. As with everything else in life it seems just because something is... » read more

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