Blog Review: Mar. 21

Mentor’s Colin Walls shares five more quick tips for embedded software programming, including t real time systems, programming philosophy, and C++ operator overloading.

Cadence’s Paul McLellan digs into recently released semiconductor company ratings, the role of memory in shaking up the list, and China’s plans for more 3D NAND and DRAM fabs.

Synopsys’ Taylor Armerding examines the latest attack on a critical infrastructure installation, TRITON/TRISIS, which targeted the safety controllers of an industrial control systems, why it failed, and future risks.

Aldec’s Katarzyna Hrynkiewicz contends that assertions don’t need to be difficult, and why cause and trace reports are a good first step in finding the cause of issues.

Rambus’ Aharon Etengoff checks out the new cybersecurity guidance issued by the SEC, which urges companies to develop policies that allow them to quickly assess cybersecurity risks.

Intel’s Ron Wilson digs into how new challenges facing SoCs, from integration to functional safety, are increasing the need for embedded hardware to boost observability.

SEMI’s Yoichiro Ando looks back on Japan’s long history of manufacturing automotive semiconductors and the current players in the market, from early MCUs to modern SiC power devices.

Arm’s Stuart Biles shares new research on overcoming voltage conversion losses in energy harvesting devices.

Lam Research’s Kris Kendall checks out commercial use of drones, from transporting lab samples and emergency medical supplies to powerline inspection.

Verification blogger Gaurav Jalan questions whether current verification practices are enough as security and safety become key requirements of ever more designs.

In a video, Cadence’s Jing Liu describes three methods of port arbitration in memory controller designs: round-robin, priority round-robin, and weighted round-robin.

And don’t miss the blogs highlighted in last week’s Manufacturing & Process Technology newsletter:

Editor in Chief Ed Sperling predicts big changes ahead in semiconductor design, manufacturing and packaging.

Executive Editor Mark LaPedus points to moves by the U.S. government to reduce dependence on vital imported materials.

Technical Editor Katherine Derbyshire argues that no matter how efficient they become, neuromorphic computers are fundamentally different than human brains.

Lam Research’s Dennis Hausmann drills down into ALD and the use of new materials and 3D designs in advanced chip manufacturing.

Applied Materials’ Mike Rosa explains why a hybrid solution will be required for wireless communication and what that means for future chips.

SEMI’s Clark Tseng looks at blockchain technologies and why they are driving so much foundry business.

GlobalFoundries’ Gary Patton contends that increasing density in chips is no longer the only path forward.

Moortec’s Ramsay Allen asks Oliver King about temperature sensors and how they help manage chip aging and reliability.

Semico Research’s Joanne Itow notes that wafer demand is still growing, with analog, NAND, communication MOS logic and MCUs consuming the most silicon in 2017.