Blog Review: June 30

Siemens EDA’s Chris Spear considers what classes should represent in SystemVerilog and offers two major categories along with some helpful UVM tips.

Cadence’s Paul McLellan listens in on keynotes at the recent TSMC Technology Symposium, including TSMC CEO C. C. Wei’s introduction some of the fab’s new offerings, such as an automotive-focused N5 process.

Synopsys’ Dennis Kengo Oka notes that while the multiple wireless interfaces now in vehicles provide desirable benefits, securing them is of critical importance, starting from the hardware layer through all the software layers.

Arm’s Ilias Vougioukas investigates a new set of processor instructions which can precisely define their fine-grain ordering requirements, reducing the need for memory barriers and improving performance.

Coventor’s QingPeng Wang finds that micro loading control has become increasingly important for finFET devices and points to the impact of unintended features or profiles created by the etch process on yield and device performance.

Aldec’s Mariusz Grabowski shows how to implement software-defined radio by integrating a tool like GNU Radio with real FPGA hardware and design and verification tools for improved performance.

Ansys’ Susan Coleman finds out how simulation software is being used in universities to help teach thermodynamics.

In a blog for SEMI, Mario de Miguel Ramos of Sorex Sensors points to how indoor air quality monitoring is getting a boost from film bulk acoustic resonator sensors, which can enable detection of different gasses.

Plus, catch up on the blogs highlighted in the latest Systems & Design newsletter:

Technology Editor Brian Bailey observes that feedback is one of the oldest forms of data, but today data controls almost everything that we do.

Siemens EDA’s Per Viklund recommends creating an early package prototype to drive multi-physics analysis and help guide partitioning.

Synopsys’ Taruna Reddy explains why correct specification of FPs and MCPs is critical for proper synthesis results.

Cadence’s Frank Schirrmeister examines whether several wireless protocols competing to connect home-automation devices can work together.

Codasip’s Roddy Urquhart outlines why domain-specific accelerators are the most promising answer to the failure of semiconductor scaling laws.