Blog Review: July 24

By Ed Sperling
Mentor’s Harry Foster unleashes part six of the Wilson Research Group functional verification study, this segment digging deeper into the time spent in verification. The numbers have surpassed time spent on the design side, which either means the front-end tools are getting better or the verification problem is becoming more difficult.

Cadence’s Brian Fuller interviews IBM CTO Brad McCredie about why the cloud will force companies to refocus on hardware performance. Big data is getting bigger. Check out the B&W photo, too. “I wonder what this button does.”

Synopsys’ Eric Huang shows off a USB 3.0 super-speed interchip that supports only USB 3.0 speeds. An interesting side note on this chip involves energy efficiency. It only expends power when there is data to transmit.

Dassault’s ARNAUD unveils the winners of a design contest for seating. We like the Curviligne model. Don’t forget the beach umbrella.

Semico Research’s Joanne Itow walks away from Semicon with a mind-boggling list of new materials under development. What materials actually become commercially viable is unknown at this point, however.

Mentor’s Dave Rich looks at some of the nuances in the English language, as in the question, “Why does a farmer produce produce?” His blog isn’t about growing tomatoes, though. It’s about SystemVerilog. Dig in.

Cadence’s Richard Goering examines what happens when you connect a virtual prototype to an FPGA-based prototype using SCE-MI. This is as interesting for the ecosystem discussion as it is for the technology.

Synopsys’ Karen Bartleson interviews Freescale’s Amol Bhinge about the limits of simulation, as in, ‘When is your SoC too large for the verification tools?’

IHS iSuppli’s Sweta Dash predicts a new batch of high-resolution tablet panels will explode in popularity over the next four years.

Mentor’s Nazita Saye is pondering the marketing possibilities of LED signage on garbage cans in a London metro station. Given the limited number of bins anywhere in London due to bomb threats, they also might just flash to let people know where they’re located.

Cadence’s Team Specman digs deep into part two of instance-based coverage options. If you work with Specman, grab some coffee.

Why is the doctor punching a display? Maybe because he or she thinks it’s a touch screen. Mentor’s Phil Burr looks at the lag in user interface technology.