Author's Latest Posts


Blog Review: Sept. 23


Arm's Matthew Mattina introduces a method to reduce the cost of neural network inference by combining both low-precision representation and the complexity-reducing Winograd transform while maintaining accuracy. Cadence's Paul McLellan checks out some of the biggest machine learning systems from Nvidia, Google, and Cerebras that were presented at the recent Hot Chips. Mentor's Robin Bornof... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Sept. 22


Drawing sensors on skin Researchers from the University of Houston and University of Chicago created an ink pen that can draw multifunctional sensors and circuits directly on skin. These "drawn-on-skin electronics" aim to provide more precise health data, free of the artifacts that are associated with wearable devices and flexible electronic patches. Caused when the sensor doesn't move prec... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Nvidia will acquire Arm from SoftBank in a $40 billion deal. Nvidia says that Arm will continue to operate its open-licensing model while maintaining global customer neutrality. SoftBank acquired Arm in 2016 for $32 billion; it also holds an ownership stake in Nvidia that is expected to remain under 10%. The deal does not include Arm's IoT Services Group. The acquisition will need to pass regul... » read more

Blog Review: Sept. 16


Cadence's Paul McLellan checks out what's new for TSMC's advanced packaging solutions and the ultra-low power, RF, eNVM, and CMOS image sensor specialty processes. Mentor's Ron Press points to an automated solution to measuring pattern value that provides a consistent, “apples to apples” assessment of patterns detecting defects based on the likelihood the physical defects occurring. S... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Sept. 15


Higher-res lidar Researchers from Purdue University and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) devised a way to improve lidar and provide higher-resolution detection of nearby fast-moving objects through mechanical control and modulation of light on a silicon chip. "Frequency modulated continuous wave" (FMCW) lidar detects objects by scanning laser light from the top of a vehicl... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Silvaco acquired the assets of Coupling Wave Solutions (CWS), including IP, patents, and analysis technologies. CWS provides tools for system-level interference analysis of complex SoCs that integrate analog, RF, and digital blocks. Silvaco said that the acquisition expands the company’s portfolio to address RF SOI (Silicon on Insulator) substrate analysis to accurately model and simulate noi... » read more

Blog Review: Sept. 9


Mentor's Jacob Wiltgen considers the recent advances in safety critical engineering and how automated the lifecycle can become, where tools form a set of checks and balances to ensure the accuracy of results. Cadence's Paul McLellan finds out what's new at TSMC, including a new R&D center, fab construction, capacity increases for existing nodes, and what the company sees for beyond its N... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Sept. 9


Smaller, cheaper integrated photonics Researchers from the University of California Santa Barbara, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) developed a way to integrate an optical frequency comb on a silicon photonic chip. Optical frequency combs are collections of equally spaced frequencies of laser light (so called because when pl... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Tools & IP Arm unveiled the Cortex-R82, a 64-bit, Linux-capable Cortex-R processor targeted for next-generation enterprise and computational storage solutions. The Cortex-R82 provides 2x performance depending on workload compared to previous Cortex-R generations and provides access of up to 1TB of DRAM for advanced data processing in storage applications. It offers an optional memory manag... » read more

Startup Funding: August 2020


Semiconductor startups were hot this month, with big funding going to designers and chip analytics. In automotive, one Chinese electric vehicle company raised another large round right before its IPO, and a LiDar maker's reverse merger gave it a cash infusion and set it on its own IPO road. Plus, a growing quantum computer developer saw a funding boost. This month, we feature 17 startups that c... » read more

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