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Ann Mutschler

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Ann Mutschler is senior executive editor at Semiconductor Engineering.

Author's Latest Posts

Masters Of Abstraction
By Ann Mutschler - 25 Feb, 2016 - Comments: 0

Good system designers are a unique breed. While it's easy enough to distinguish the traits that define a good one from a weak one, it's much harder to determine who possesses those traits before they are put to the test, or whether or how they can be taught. However, there is definitely a particular perspective that good system designers hold in common. The key is the ability to work with ma... » read more

System Bits: Feb. 23
By Ann Mutschler - 23 Feb, 2016 - Comments: 0

Making electrons act like liquid While electrical resistance is a simple concept in that rather like friction slowing down an object rolling on a surface, resistance slows the flow of electrons through a conductive material, and now, MIT professor of physics Leonid Levitov and Gregory Falkovich, a professor at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science have found that electrons can sometimes tur... » read more

Reaching For ROI
By Ann Mutschler - 17 Feb, 2016 - Comments: 0

The simplest way to assess power and performance ROI of a chip design is to ask if the chip works and whether it meets the design specifications. But chips can be used in very different ways, and a single chip may have a number of operational modes, so that formula isn't so clear anymore. "Preventing failures is the No. 1 priority when it comes to ROI," said Aveek Sarkar, vice president of p... » read more

System Bits: Feb. 16
By Ann Mutschler - 16 Feb, 2016 - Comments: 0

WW seismic network app UC Berkeley researchers have released a free Android app that uses a smartphone’s ability to record ground shaking from an earthquake, with the goal of creating a worldwide seismic detection network that could eventually warn users of impending jolts from nearby quakes. The app, called MyShake, is available from the Google Play Store and runs in the background with... » read more

Adventures In Assembly
By Ann Mutschler - 11 Feb, 2016 - Comments: 0

With so few [getkc id="81" kc_name="SoC"] designs — if any — today designed completely new from the ground up, the assembly task is an extremely important one to get right. [getkc id="43" kc_name="IP"] components must be put together optimally and efficiently to perfectly match the application requirements, which is complex and intricately nuanced. How companies approach IP varies signif... » read more

Where We Go From Here
By Ann Mutschler - 11 Feb, 2016 - Comments: 0

It is hard to argue against the evidence that the dynamics of modern software in embedded systems are making it nearly impractical for traditional approaches of cycle based simulation or emulation to survive as they’ve been while truly meeting the needs of hardware/software design teams. While it is not a topic the EDA companies are completely comfortable addressing directly, the fact is t... » read more

System Bits: Feb. 9
By Ann Mutschler - 09 Feb, 2016 - Comments: 0

Securing RFID chips Researchers at MIT and Texas Instruments have developed a new type of radio frequency identification (RFID) chip that they say is virtually impossible to hack, and which could secure credit cards, key cards, and pallets of goods in warehouses. The researchers reminded that if such chips were widely adopted, it could mean that an identity thief couldn’t steal your credi... » read more

Designing SoCs For Hybrids
By Ann Mutschler - 04 Feb, 2016 - Comments: 0

Hybrid vehicle sales are growing, driven by a global concern for lower vehicle emissions and consumer demand for better economy. This has set off a rush by semiconductor companies to provide key components for those vehicles because they are much more reliant on electronics than regular gasoline-powered vehicles. But the changeover is not as straightforward as it might sound. Hybrid vehicles... » read more

Hybrid Vehicles = More Verification
By Ann Mutschler - 04 Feb, 2016 - Comments: 0

While it is probably no surprise to anyone even slightly familiar with the complexity of hybrid electric vehicle systems, these designs require more intense verification than traditional combustion engine systems. To fill out the picture, Mick Tegethoff, director, AMS product marketing at Mentor Graphics, reminded that verification is a very broad term. “Let's say you are doing circuit sim... » read more

System Bits: Feb. 2
By Ann Mutschler - 02 Feb, 2016 - Comments: 0

Wearable sensors reveal health data from sweat In the name of science, UC Berkeley researchers want you to break out into a sweat — so it can be analyzed, of course. Specifically, the researchers have created a flexible sensor system that can measure metabolites and electrolytes in sweat, calibrate the data based upon skin temperature and sync the results in real time to a smartphone. The... » read more

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