Blog Review: Apr. 11

Mentor’s Dennis Brophy looks at how the black box nature of IP means it’s hard to tell if a block is free from security risks, even if verification IP and open-source design code can help.

Synopsys’ Sri Deepti Pisipati explains Panel Self Refresh, a power saving mechanism in Display Port that allows for turning off the video processor and its circuitry when an image is static.

Cadence’s Paul McLellan considers the implications of computers playing and winning games against grand champions, from chess to Go and, most recently, AI conquering the best computer chess program in the world.

Arm’s Greg Yeric examines what the future holds for 3D IC as stacked ICs become full 3D SoCs, along with the technologies needed to get there.

Rambus’ Aharon Etengoff takes a look at the intersection of machine learning, the IoT, and blockchain technologies and why each could benefit the others.

SEMI’s Dan Tracy and Sungho Yoon warn that chip makers are struggling to secure enough silicon wafers to meet demand, particularly 300mm, and examine the reasons behind the shortfall.

Applied Materials’ Sundeep Bajikar argues that 5G will act as a key enabler of data generation as well as a catalyst for transformation of the traditional network infrastructure to a smart network infrastructure.

Coolstar’s Yi Zheng lays out how the company used thermal simulation to improve the performance of its power management ICs.

Nvidia’s Jamie Beckett takes a peek at current efforts to improve hail forecasting, including where it will fall and how large it will be, using deep learning.

Lam Research’s Deborah Hong notes that while tapping renewable energy sources may seem cutting edge, they’ve been in use for thousands of years.

Cadence’s Lana Chan checks out new features in NVMe 1.3, including how streams directives help act like a Dewey decimal system at a library.

Synopsys’ Taylor Armerding considers privacy, money laundering, and anonymity (or lack thereof) in blockchain currency exchanges as the IMF calls for more regulation on cryptocurrencies.

Mentor’s Srinivas Velivala identifies three stages of DRC verification and debug and suggests optimizations that help improve efficiency.

Plus, check out the blogs featured in the latest IoT, Security & Automotive and Packaging, Test & Materials newsletters:

Editor In Chief Ed Sperling finds debate beginning to stir up over the choices that machines make.

Executive Editor Ann Steffora Mutschler argues that attention to detail will be critical in automotive designs because of the numerous safety, reliability and security requirements.

Rambus’ Asaf Ashkenazi notes that while limited compute resources and a complex ecosystem make edge security tough, chip-to-cloud solutions could help.

Achronix’s Alok Sanghavi explains how to gain the benefits of reconfigurable technology without the power penalty of going off-chip.

Mentor’s Scot Morrison contends that while the industrial IoT shows much promise, the current state of SDKs could pose a major problem.

Marvell’s Tal Mizrahi shows how to sort through different telemetry approaches for the optimum solution.

Synopsys’ Mike Thompson looks at why utilizing ASIL-ready IP processor designs is an important step toward functional safety.

Flex Logix’s Geoff Tate digs into how to optimize embedded FPGA designs by using dedicated software tools.

Editor In Chief Ed Sperling points to the next phase of advanced packaging and why it’s so important.

Technology Editor Jeff Dorsch shows why a failed acquisition by Chinese investors isn’t necessarily so bad.

Brewer Science’s Runhui Huang explains how to solve the breakdown of polymers at high temperatures.