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Brian Bailey

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Brian Bailey is Technology Editor/EDA for Semiconductor Engineering.

Author's Latest Posts

High Level Synthesis Grows Up
By Brian Bailey - 13 Mar, 2014 - Comments: 2

When Semiconductor Engineering proposed this Experts At The Table discussion, which was held at the recently concluded DVCon, [getentity id="22032" e_name="Cadence"] had yet to express its intention to purchase [getentity id="22087" e_name="Forte"]. Little did we know that the stakes in the [gettech id="31015" comment="high-level synthesis"] (HLS) arena were being raised so high. Is this an in... » read more

Pointing Fingers In Verification
By Brian Bailey - 12 Mar, 2014 - Comments: 11

With most EDA tools, the buying decision is related to improved quality of results or increased productivity. Will a new synthesis or clock optimization tool enable designers to do more, faster and are those gains worth the price? The equation is fairly simple. When it comes to verification tools, things are more complex. You can still make productivity gains, or purchase an additional tool ... » read more

Tech Talk: Multipatterning
By Brian Bailey - 03 Mar, 2014 - Comments: 2

Mentor Graphics' David Abercrombie shows how multi patterning is supposed to be done, and what sorts of problems can crop up along the way. Now that EUV has hit another hiccup, the semiconductor industry has little choice. [youtube vid=tOs_OMSh4Nk] » read more

10 Must Knows About Virtual Prototypes
By Brian Bailey - 27 Feb, 2014 - Comments: 1

1. What is a virtual prototype? If you ask a room full of people to define ‘system’, you will get as many answers as there are people in the room. The same is true for virtual prototypes. A virtual prototype defines a model of something that is usually created by one group and used by another with some implied abstraction. It is a prototype that exists as a software model on which analysis... » read more

The End Of Automated Patent Trolls?
By Brian Bailey - 27 Feb, 2014 - Comments: 2

I have written several articles and blogs recently about the [getkc id="16" comment="patent"] system, and readers of What Were They Thinking know that I like to poke fun at patents that never should have been issued because they are obvious, silly or would never actually be able to work. There are patents that cover using a laser pointer to play with a cat, to water a Christmas tree or to creat... » read more

EDA Hungers For Growth
By Brian Bailey - 27 Feb, 2014 - Comments: 1

Look at the top line numbers provided by the EDA industry consortium (EDAC) and it appears as if the industry is doing well. In 2010, revenue was $5.285 billion. That number increased to $6.218 billion in 2011, and again to $6.529 billion in 2012, a 9.5% annual growth rate that would satisfy most investors. But the numbers do not tell the whole story. There is an interesting divide growing betw... » read more

Do Chips Really Work The First Time?
By Brian Bailey - 13 Feb, 2014 - Comments: 3

The industry used to have survey data that showed the number of respins required for a broad swath of designs and the principle causes of those respins. That was a good indicator of where tools or processes needed to be improved. At the time, the data showed that the primary cause of respins was functional errors, and since then EDA vendors have been beefing up tools in that area. Most of th... » read more

Hardware-Software Rift Persists
By Brian Bailey - 13 Feb, 2014 - Comments: 0

Last month Semiconductor Engineering published an article about power optimization and the roles of the hardware and software teams in reducing energy consumption. The article portrayed the hardware team adding lots of capabilities for power reduction, while the software team was not making full use of those capabilities. That article made the rounds in a couple of LinkedIn forums populated ... » read more

Fixing The Patent System
By Brian Bailey - 31 Jan, 2014 - Comments: 7

Yesterday I published an article that looked at the state of the [getkc id="16" comment="patent"] system in the U.S. and the changes that may happen when the Supreme Court hears the case of Alice Corp. and CLS Bank International. A ruling from the Supreme Court may serve to clarify the bounds of what is and is not patentable when it comes to areas such as business methods, financial systems and... » read more

Patents Under Scrutiny
By Brian Bailey - 30 Jan, 2014 - Comments: 2

After years of complaints by high-tech companies that the U.S. patent system is misused, too slow or completely outdated, patent attorneys are about to get their day in court. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review an appeal between Alice Corp., an electronic marketplace for trading IP, and CLS Bank International, involving what kinds of inventions can be patented, according to the Supr... » read more

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