Author's Latest Posts


Power/Performance Bits: Dec. 6


Tunable 2D semiconductors Researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Hengyang Normal University, Nanjing University, National University of Singapore, and Zhejiang University identified a family of 2D semiconductors that could have lower resistance and enable further scaling. “Due to the quantum tunnelling effect, shrinking a silicon-based transistor too sm... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Infineon Technologies acquired Syntronixs Asia, which specializes in precision electroplating, a key process in the assembly process of semiconductors. Syntronixs Asia has a workforce of more than 500 people and has been a major service provider for Infineon since 2009. “Through this acquisition, we have made another important step to strengthen the resilience of our supply chain,” said Tho... » read more

Startup Funding: November 2021


There's nothing virtual about the level of interest in AR/VR startups. As the concept of the 'metaverse' becomes more widespread with Nvidia's recent GTC announcements and Facebook's rebranding, investors poured money into startups with enabling technology for augmented, virtual, and extended reality. Most of those are developing waveguides and other display technology that is light enough to b... » read more

Blog Review: Dec. 1


Synopsys' Mike Gianfagna points to three events that created a fundamental shift in product development that has enabled rapid introduction of a wide range of new products. Siemens' Sagi Reuven considers some key challenges facing the supply chain and the impact on electronics manufacturers, from rising shipping costs to shortages of raw materials and transportation labor. Cadence's Frank... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Nov. 30


Universal decoding algorithm Researchers at MIT, Boston University, and Maynooth University built a silicon chip that is able to decode any error-correcting code, regardless of its structure, with maximum accuracy, using a universal decoding algorithm called Guessing Random Additive Noise Decoding (GRAND). Encoded data traveling over a network is susceptible to noise, which disrupts the sig... » read more

Blog Review: Nov. 24


Cadence's Paul McLellan introduces the theory and practice of datapath formal verification and explores two use cases of dot-product accumulate systolic design and hashing design. Siemens EDA's Rich Edelman shows that constructing an in-order UVM scoreboard doesn't have to be a difficult or complex task, and certainly simpler than replacing a laptop's keyboard. Synopsys' Gordon Cooper con... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Nov. 24


Flexible, low power phase-change memory Engineers at Stanford University created a flexible phase-change memory. The non-volatile phase-change memory device is made up of germanium, antimony, and tellurium (GST) between two metal electrodes. 1s and 0s represent measurements of electrical resistance in the GST material. “A typical phase-change memory device can store two states of resis... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Tools Imperas Software released updated simulator and reference models that support the latest RISC-V extensions for Bit Manipulation 1.0.0, Cryptographic (Scalar) 1.0.0, and Vector 1.0, plus Privilege Specification 1.12. They are offered both as freely available, open-source reference models for the RISC-V community as well as commercial products. Ansys' multiphysics signoff solutions were... » read more

Blog Review: Nov. 17


In a podcast, Arm's Geof Wheelwright and Hilary Tam chat about the importance of efforts to decarbonize compute and how low-power compute can help ensure that the benefits of technology outweigh the environmental cost. Synopsys' Graham Allan and Vikas Gautam consider what's driving demand for HBM3, what's different from the previous HBM2E specification, unique design considerations, and how ... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Nov. 16


Light-emitting memory Researchers from Kyushu University and National Taiwan Normal University propose a 'light-emitting memory' based on a perovskite that can simultaneously store and visually transmit data. The team used the idea in conjunction with resistive RAM (RRAM), in which states of high and low resistance represent ones and zeros. "The electrical measurements needed to check the r... » read more

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