Author's Latest Posts


Auto Chip Ecosystem Needs Common Language


In order to reach the levels of robustness that autonomous vehicles will require, companies throughout the automotive and semiconductor ecosystem are working with an eye toward high-sigma design. But along with this robustness, there must be a clear understanding of the situation at hand, how semiconductors can improve the number of vehicle fatalities, and make sure everyone is communicating... » read more

More Sigmas In Auto Chips


The journey to autonomous cars is forcing fundamental changes in the way chips are designed, tested and tracked, from the overall system functionality to the IP that goes into those systems. This includes everything from new requirements for automotive-grade chips to longer mean time between failures. But it also makes it far more challenging, time-consuming and complicated to create these d... » read more

Faster Verification With AI, ML


Tool providers have continually improved the performance, capacity, and memory footprint parameters of functional verification engines over the past decade. Today, although the core anchors are still formal verification, simulation, emulation, and FPGA-based prototyping, a new frontier focusing on the verification fabric itself aims to make better use of these engines including planning, alloca... » read more

System Bits: July 31


Computers that perceive human emotion As part of the growing field of “affective computing,” MIT researchers have developed a machine-learning model that takes computers a step closer to interpreting our emotions as naturally as humans do. Affective computing uses robots and computers to analyze facial expressions, interpret emotions, and respond accordingly. Applications include, for ... » read more

Debug Issues Grow At New Nodes


Debugging and testing chips is becoming more time-consuming, more complicated, and significantly more difficult at advanced nodes as well as in advanced packages. The main problem is that there are so many puzzle pieces, and so many different use cases and demands on those pieces, that it's difficult to keep track of all the changes and potential interactions. Some blocks are "on" sometimes,... » read more

System Bits: July 24


Computers that mimic the human brain According to a group of researchers led by the Jülich Research Centre in Germany, a computer built to mimic the brain’s neural networks produces similar results to that of the best brain-simulation supercomputer software currently used for neural-signaling research. The custom-built computer named SpiNNaker, which the team said has been tested for ac... » read more

5nm Design Progress


Activity surrounding the 5nm manufacturing process node is quickly ramping, creating a better picture of the myriad and increasingly complex design issues that must be overcome. Progress at each new node after 28nm has required an increasingly tight partnership between the foundries, which are developing new processes and rule decks, along with EDA and IP vendors, which are adding tools, met... » read more

Architecting For AI


Semiconductor Engineering sat down to talk about what is needed today to enable artificial intelligence training and inferencing with Manoj Roge, vice president, strategic planning at Achronix; Ty Garibay, CTO at Arteris IP; Chris Rowen, CEO of Babblelabs; David White, distinguished engineer at Cadence; Cheng Wang, senior VP engineering at Flex Logix; and Raik Brinkmann, president and CEO of O... » read more

System Bits: July 16


Test tube AI neural network In a significant step towards demonstrating the capacity to program artificial intelligence into synthetic biomolecular circuits, Caltech researchers have developed an artificial neural network made out of DNA that can solve a classic machine learning problem: correctly identifying handwritten numbers. The work was done in the laboratory of Lulu Qian, assistant p... » read more

System Bits: July 10


Foldable electronic switches and sensors Using inexpensive materials, UC Berkeley engineers have created a method to fabricate foldable electronic switches and sensors directly onto paper, along with prototype generators, supercapacitors and other electronic devices for what they said is a range of applications. Besides the fact that it is readily available and low cost, the team pointed ou... » read more

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