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DAC/Semicon West Wednesday


Trade restrictions against China were a regular topic of discussion at both DAC and Semicon West this week. Five Chinese startups exhibited prominently at this week's Design Automation Conference, in the wake of increasingly restrictive trade regulations that limit the sale of U.S. and European EDA tools used to develop advanced semiconductors. Most attendees interviewed said privately th... » read more

DAC/Semicon West Addresses Top Issues, Trends For Chips


The Design Automation Conference (DAC) 2023 and Semicon West returned in full force this week, drawing in more attendees and sponsor companies than since before the pandemic. At times, booth traffic was four to five deep, blocking aisles, and standing room only was common at presentations. Hot topics included generative AI and the underlying semiconductor technology, data security, reliabili... » read more

Power Semiconductors: A Deep Dive Into Materials, Manufacturing & Business


Whether you’re the owner of the average smartphone, commuting on trains, or driving around in a Tesla, you use power semiconductor devices every day. In a technology-dependent world, these devices are everywhere, and demand for more types of chips using different materials is growing. In the past, most engineers paid little attention to power semiconductors. They were deemed commodity, off... » read more

China Chip Industry Startup Funding Annual Report & Analysis: 2022


China is racing to stay competitive in semiconductors, as trade sanctions increasingly limit its access to EDA tools and manufacturing equipment required for the most advanced manufacturing processes. As a result, state-backed investors and regional development funds are pouring money into domestic semiconductor companies. This report will provide a glimpse into where the money is going, and wh... » read more

Chip Industry Startup Funding Annual Report & Analysis: 2022


Introduction New ideas fuel the semiconductor industry, and money enables those ideas. Tracking what startups get funded is one way to see which ideas are more viable and which problems need to be solved most urgently. In general, the more startups working on a solution to a particular problem, the greater the need for a viable solution — and the more likely one will be developed. Investo... » read more

Softbank To Buy ARM For $32.34B


By Ed Sperling & Ann Steffora Mutschler Japan's Softbank will acquire ARM for $32.34 billion, according to an agreement made public this morning. The deal has the backing of ARM's board of directors, which unanimously will recommend ARM shareholders approve it, according to a company statement. Under the terms of the deal, Softbank will at least double employee headcount in the United... » read more

IBM Unloads Chip Biz To GF


By Ed Sperling & Mark LaPedus After months of on-again, off-again negotiations, [getentity id="22306" comment="IBM"] agreed to hand over its Microelectronics unit to [getentity id="22819" comment="GlobalFoundries"] for $1.5 billion—meaning IBM will actually pay GlobalFoundries that amount to get rid of what has become an albatross for Big Blue. To really sweeten the deal, GlobalFoundr... » read more

Signoff Intensity On The Rise


By Ann Steffora Mutschler and Ed Sperling Lithography and signoff are crossing swords at 16/14nm and 10nm, creating new problems that raise questions about just how confident design teams will be when they sign off before tapeout — and how many respins are likely to follow. While designs at 20nm, 16nm and 14nm typically rely on colorless double patterning, at 10nm colors are mandatory. ... » read more

What Happened To 450mm?


By Mark LaPedus, Ed Sperling & Katherine Derbyshire There was a time not very long ago—one process node, in fact—when the economic momentum of Moore’s Law seemed unstoppable with a combination of extreme ultraviolet lithography, larger wafer sizes and a variety of new materials. Shrinking feature sizes is still technically possible, but certainly not with the same promised economic benef... » read more

Mentor Buys Berkeley Design


Mentor Graphics announced today that it has acquired Berkeley Design Automation, staking a claim on the expanding market for analog, mixed-signal and RF verification. The deal puts Mentor on firm footing against Synopsys and Cadence, just as the opportunity for the Internet of Things (IoT), including automotive and medical design, begins to show real promise. Until this move, Mentor has larg... » read more

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