Blog Review: Dec. 13

Mentor’s Sherif Hany notes that pattern matching isn’t just for litho hotspots anymore, and is increasingly being used in a wide range of early design phase checks, DRC flows, layout retargeting and fixing and DFM checks.

Synopsys’ Eric Huang explains why USB cables have gotten so short, even though no length is mentioned in the specification.

Cadence’s Paul McLellan listens in as Jeremy Muldavin of the U.S. Department of Defense explains the government’s growing use of commercial off-the-shelf parts and the diminishing  options for domestic trusted manufacture of electronics.

Rambus’ Aharon Etengoff checks out what the U.S. Congress is trying to do about cybersecurity and IoT, including a proposed voluntary grading and labeling system for whether a product meets cybersecurity and data security benchmarks.

In a video, VLSI Research’s G. Dan Hutcheson chats with Jim Handy of Objective Analysis on how long the DRAM and NAND boom will last, the impact of consolidation, and what to expect from next year.

NI’s James Kimery digs into the quest for ultra low latency in 5G and how it’s being addressed at the physical layer.

Arm’s Lisa Liu shares highlights from the recent Arm AI Ecosystem Consortium event, with a focus on the continuing development of AI in China and its role in smart appliances.

Ansys’ Adam Preece celebrates the 70^th anniversary of the first controlled supersonic flight with a simulation of the forces surrounding the historic plane.

A Lam Research writer notes that due to technology, whether a goal was scored in a soccer match may no longer be in question.

In a video, Cadence’s Tom Hackett continues his explanation of neural network basics using an Excel spreadsheet as a learning vehicle.

Mentor’s Joe Hupcey III digs into the problems posed by vacuous proofs in formal verification, why they matter, and how to fix them. Plus, Mentor’s Harry Foster introduces a new video course on how to handle inconclusive assertions in formal.

Synopsys’ Viral Sharma digs into the AMBA 5 AHB5 bus interface protocol and new features to align it with the AMBA AXI4 protocol.

And don’t miss the blogs featured in the recent IoT, Security & Automotive and Packaging, Test & Electronic Systems newsletters:

Editor in Chief Ed Sperling contends that rumors of the IoT’s lackluster growth appear to be company- or segment-specific.

Executive Editor Ann Steffora Mutschler questions whether an automotive IP provider is now more of a systems company.

Mentor’s Andrew Macleod examines how to reduce final testing costs for automotive chips without sacrificing quality.

Synopsys’ Robert Vamosi observes that new software in automotive will demand new chip designs, laying the groundwork for more innovation.

Rambus’ Joe Gullo points to new guidelines to help make sure that secure updates really are secure.

Flex Logix’s Geoff Tate explains why embedded FPGA accelerators provide a boost for both ARM and RISC-V processors.

Marvell’s Sree Durbha points to how Apple is making it simpler to set up devices.

Editor In Chief Ed Sperling contends that despite the initial reasons for putting multiple die in a package, it is now viewed as the best way to handle large amounts of data at blazing speeds.

Technology Editor Jeff Dorsch looks back on 2017’s M&A, business trends and system-level test.

Advantest’s Judy Davies observes that self-driving cars have the potential to increase productivity and change society.