Author's Latest Posts


Power/Performance Bits: Aug. 25


AI architecture optimization Researchers at Rice University, Stanford University, University of California Santa Barbara, and Texas A&M University proposed two complementary methods for optimizing data-centric processing. The first, called TIMELY, is an architecture developed for “processing-in-memory” (PIM). A promising PIM platform is resistive random access memory, or ReRAM. Whil... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Tools & IP SiFive announced OpenFive, a self-contained and autonomous business unit that will offer custom silicon solutions with differentiated IP. OpenFive will be led by Dr. Shafy Eltoukhy, SVP, and general manager of OpenFive. OpenFive debuted with a new Die-to-Die (D2D) interface IP portfolio to serve next-generation chipset based designs for networking, HPC, and AI markets. The D2D p... » read more

Blog Review: Aug. 19


Rambus' Scott Best digs into some of the most sophisticated attacks used to target and compromise security chips, such as laser voltage probing, focused ion beam editing, reverse engineering, and NVM extraction, and ways to counter them. Synopsys' Chris Clark proposes a way to identify problems earlier and better ensure safety and reliability in automotive SoCs by moving from a linear develo... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Aug. 18


Flexible, hole-filled films Researchers from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) and Hongik University propose a simple way to make flexible electrodes and thin film transistors last longer: adding lots of tiny holes. A major problem with flexible electronics is the formation of microscopic cracks after repeated bending which can cause the device to lose its conducti... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Cadence added new machine learning functionality to its Xcelium Logic Simulator to speed verification closure on randomized regressions. Xcelium ML directly interfaces to the simulation kernel and learns iteratively over an entire simulation regression, guiding the Xcelium randomization kernel on subsequent regression runs to achieve matching coverage with reduced simulation cycles. Kioxia adop... » read more

Blog Review: Aug. 12


Arm's Greg Yeric takes a look at what semiconductor manufacturing might look like in 2030 as the price of equipment rises and possibilities for when the next upgrade to EUV, high numerical aperture, eventually runs out of steam. Synopsys' Taylor Armerding explains the difference between bugs and security flaws and why it's so important to pay attention to potential problems in a design's spe... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Aug. 10


Flexible electrodes for thin films Researchers from the University of Queensland and ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science (University of Melbourne) developed a material for flexible, recyclable, transparent electrodes that could be used in things like solar panels, touchscreens, and smart windows. Eser Akinoglu of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science said, "The performance... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


M&A Goodix acquired Dream Chip Technologies. Shenzhen-based Goodix is known for fingerprint and other biometric sensors and authentication solutions, as well as Arm and RISC-V based MCUs. It is reportedly among the ten largest Chinese chipmakers, according to EqualOcean. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Based in Garbsen, Germany, Dream Chip Technologies originally was founded in ... » read more

Blog Review: Aug. 5


Rambus' Scott Best explains some more sophisticated chip attacks, such as side-channel attacks, clocking attacks, fault injection, and infrared emission analysis, and countermeasures that can be adopted against them. Arm's Mark O'Connor considers ways that deployed neural networks could adapt to examples it sees in real-world use and generate more accurate predictions. Mentor's Chris Spea... » read more

Startup Funding: July 2020


A number of semiconductor and design companies took in funding this month, from a mega round for a data center switch maker to seed grants for two Canadian companies and new funding for an IP marketplace. China continues to be a hot area for electric vehicles, with one company raising half a billion for its two models currently in production. For July, we highlight fifteen startups that raised ... » read more

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