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Ann Mutschler

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Ann Mutschler is senior executive editor at Semiconductor Engineering.

Author's Latest Posts

Is Dark Silicon Wasted Silicon?
By Ann Mutschler - 09 Apr, 2015 - Comments: 0

The concept of dark silicon sounds almost mysterious, but it is a simple matter of physics. With advances in technology nodes and the ability to pack more and more transistors on the same die, design engineers are reaching a wall where only a fraction of a design can be powered on due to power and thermal implications. Moreover, the challenges that force this kind of complex power managemen... » read more

System Bits: April 7
By Ann Mutschler - 07 Apr, 2015 - Comments: 0

Ultra-efficient magnetic-field detector In a development that could lead to miniaturized, battery-powered devices for medical and materials imaging, contraband detection, and even geological exploration, MIT researchers have developed a new, ultrasensitive magnetic-field detector they say is 1,000 times more energy-efficient than its predecessors. Magnetic-field detectors, or magnetometers,... » read more

IoT Is For Chickens
By Ann Mutschler - 02 Apr, 2015 - Comments: 1

As a backyard chicken enthusiast in my spare time, I was pleasantly surprised to find that other technology-minded folks are interested in chickens too. A simple Internet search revealed a ‘Chicken Tender’ project recently presented at the Intel IoT Roadshow in Seattle that I wish were already commercialized! This ingenious system tracks and monitors egg laying for individual chickens in... » read more

Architecting For Optimal Interface IP Integration
By Ann Mutschler - 31 Mar, 2015 - Comments: 0

Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss the design and integration of complex interface IP with Ty Garibay, vice president of engineering at [getentity id="22849" e_name="Altera"]; Brian Daellenbach, president of Northwest Logic; Frank Ferro, senior director of product management for memory and interface IP at [getentity id="22671" e_name="Rambus"]; Saman Sadr, director of analog design... » read more

System Bits: March 31
By Ann Mutschler - 31 Mar, 2015 - Comments: 0

Virtual nose reduces video game simulator sickness While virtual reality games often cause simulator sickness – inducing vertigo and sometimes nausea — new research by Purdue University points to a potential strategy to ease the affliction: adding a virtual nose. They explained that a number of physiological systems control the onset of simulator sickness including a person's overall se... » read more

Architecturally Optimizing Memory Bandwidth
By Ann Mutschler - 27 Mar, 2015 - Comments: 0

Making sure that an SoC’s [getkc id="22" kc_name="memory"] bandwidth is optimized is a crucial part of the design process today given its significance toward overall system performance. There are many ways to approach this issue, and all of them can have a direct bearing on the competitiveness of a chip in terms of both power and performance. So where should you start? “Number one, c... » read more

What Is Functional Accuracy?
By Ann Mutschler - 26 Mar, 2015 - Comments: 0

What it means to be functionally accurate in the context of [getkc id="104" kc_name="virtual platforms"] varies greatly, depending upon whom you ask and even when you ask them. But that doesn’t mean that functional accuracy isn’t useful. Jon McDonald, technical marketing engineer for the design and creation business at [getentity id="22017" e_name="Mentor Graphics"], expects to see a lot... » read more

System Bits: March 24
By Ann Mutschler - 24 Mar, 2015 - Comments: 0

A better band-aid UC Berkeley engineers are working on a bandage that can detect bedsores before they are visible - while recovery from them is still possible. Leveraging flexible electronics advancements, the researchers collaborated with colleagues at UC San Francisco to create their “smart bandage” that uses electrical currents to detect early tissue damage from pressure ulcers as th... » read more

3D Effects At 20nm And Beyond
By Ann Mutschler - 19 Mar, 2015 - Comments: 0

At the 20nm process node and below, attenuated phase shift masks (PSM) are used in the photolithography process, which results in approximately 70nm of topography. This now must be accounted for using 3D mask approximation. Aki Fujimura, CEO of [getentity id="22864" comment="D2S"], explained that in terms of [getkc id="80" comment="lithography"], where simulation-based technologies are used,... » read more

System Bits: March 17
By Ann Mutschler - 17 Mar, 2015 - Comments: 0

Symmetry in graphene growth According to Rice University researchers, what lies beneath growing islands of graphene is important to its properties. The team analyzed patterns of graphene – a single-atom-thick sheet of carbon – grown in a furnace via chemical vapor deposition and discovered that the geometric relationship between graphene and the substrate, the underlying material on whi... » read more

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