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System Bits: Oct. 25


Scalable quantum computers In what they say is a significant step towards to the realization of a scalable quantum computer, researchers from the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of Waterloo led the development of a new extensible wiring technique capable of controlling superconducting quantum bits. The quantum socket is a wiring method that uses 3D based on spring-lo... » read more

Closing The Power Integrity Gap


Voltage drop has always been a significant challenge. As far back as 130nm, specialist tools were being used to ensure that enough local decoupling capacitance (decap) cells were inserted in addition to larger decaps implemented around the SoC. But advanced nodes are complicating matters and further increasing complexity. These technological challenges, which underlie the power, performance ... » read more

System Bits: Oct. 18


First quantum computer bridge Quantum computing is closer than we think. For the first time on a single chip, Sandia National Laboratories and Harvard University researchers have shown all the components needed to create a quantum bridge to link quantum computers together by forcefully embedding two silicon atoms in a diamond matrix. Sandia researcher Ryan Camacho pointed out that small qua... » read more

Getting The Power/Performance Ratio Right


Getting to market quickly means determining as soon as possible if a concept for a new design will work or not, particularly where power and performance are concerned. Making this determination requires intimate knowledge of the scenarios in which the device will operate — and that is just the start. In order to set things up, you need to somehow model the system, which could be done in a ... » read more

Rethinking Verification For Cars


New tools, approaches, and methodologies are in various stages of development and deployment under the umbrella of functional safety, as more electronics find their way into cars, medical devices and industrial applications. As shown in part one, verification needs to be rethought for these applications. Underneath the umbrella will be ways of doing negative testing, ways of categorizing, an... » read more

Safety-Critical Chips Have A Premium Verification Cost


While the market opportunities in the automotive space may be exciting, the economics are staggering as consumers demand all kinds of new technologies: low power, safety-critical verification, Internet of Things — and they want it all at an incremental price of zero dollars over the actual value of the product. This can make business decisions about even entering a market a delicate balan... » read more

Aftermarket Autonomous Vehicle Race Heats Up


It’s not just car companies that are racing to build self-driving vehicles. An entire ecosystem is sprouting up around retrofitting existing vehicles with autonomous technology, despite the fact that the technology, infrastructure, regulatory and insurance issues are still not fully formed. Uber already is using self-driving taxis, accompanied by a human driver, in Pittsburgh, Pa. And many... » read more

System Bits: Oct. 4


Light deflection through fog In a development that could lead to computer vision systems that work in fog or drizzle, which have been a major obstacle to self-driving cars, MIT researchers have developed a technique for recovering visual information from light that has scattered because of interactions with the environment — such as passing through human tissue. This technology — called... » read more

Heterogeneous System Challenges Grow


As more types of processors are added into SoCs—CPUs, GPUs, DSPs and accelerators, each running a different OS—there is a growing challenge to make sure these compute elements interact properly with their neighbors. Adding to the problem is this mix of processors and accelerators varies widely between different markets and applications. In mobile there are CPUs, GPUs, video and crypto pr... » read more

Rethinking Verification For Cars


As the amount of electronic content in a car increases, so does the number of questions about how to improve reliability of those systems. Unlike an [getkc id="76" kc_name="IoT"] device, which is expected last a couple of years, automotive electronics fall into a class of safety-critical devices. There are standards for verifying these devices, new test methodologies, and there is far mo... » read more

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