Managing Complexity: Evolving Approaches To Design Rule Checking In Modern IC Design


As integrated circuit (IC) designs have grown in complexity, scale and speed requirements, design rule checking (DRC) has evolved from a routine step into a critical pillar of successful tapeouts. Foundry rules, shrinking geometries and advanced patterning have increased both the engineering effort and computational overhead needed for verification. Today, DRC isn’t just about sign-off—it�... » read more

Transforming Data Management In EDA: Preparing For The AI Era


In today’s fast-paced electronics design automation (EDA) environment, effective data management has become essential. Growing design complexity, distributed teams, and the accelerating adoption of AI/ML are pushing organizations to rethink how they manage, track, and leverage decades of engineering data. From manual workarounds to data management Many engineers discover the importance ... » read more

Programmable Chips Evolve For Shifting Needs


ICs and SoCs are utilizing a range of processing elements that allow them to optimize current workloads while hedging their bets for the future. What used to be a simple choice between an ASIC, FPGA, or DSP, has evolved into a mix of processor types and architectures, including varying levels of programmability and customization. Speed is essential, but technology is evolving so quickly that... » read more

Tracking Your Preferences


I like to use my last blog of the year to focus on you, the reader. You provide valuable feedback to me and the rest of the team at Semiconductor Engineering. What do you want to see us write about? How in-depth should things be? This is always a balance between the amount of information provided and the rate at which readers tire with an article. My focus is the channels I write for – Sys... » read more

Accelerating Semiconductor Innovation Through Machine Learning-Driven Modeling


The semiconductor industry is entering an era of unprecedented complexity, driven by advanced architectures such as Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistors, wide-bandgap materials like GaN and SiC, and heterogeneous integration strategies. Traditional physics-based modeling approaches are increasingly challenged by nonlinear effects, electro-thermal interactions, and variability across device geometr... » read more

LLM- Based Techniques To Support Behavior-Driven Development For HW Design (U. of Bremen, DFKI)


A new technical paper titled "LLM-based Behaviour Driven Development for Hardware Design" was published by researchers at University of Bremen/DFKI. Abstract "Test and verification are essential activities in hardware and system design, but their complexity grows significantly with increasing system sizes. While Behavior Driven Development (BDD) has proven effective in software engineerin... » read more

Physical Modeling and Benchmarking for 2T-SOT-MRAM (Georgia Tech, MIT, Cornell)


A new technical paper titled "Modeling and Optimization of Two-Terminal Spin-Orbit-Torque MRAM" was published by researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology, MIT, and Cornell University. Abstract "This paper presents physical modeling and benchmarking for two-terminal spin-orbit torque magnetic random-access memory (2T-SOT-MRAM). The results indicate that the common SOT materials that ... » read more

Thermal Modeling in Emerging Heterogeneous 2.5D/3D Systems (EPFL, Universidad Complutense de Madrid)


A new technical paper titled "3D-ICE 4.0: Accurate and efficient thermal modeling for 2.5D/3D heterogeneous chiplet systems" was published by researchers at EPFL and Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Abstract "The increasing power densities and intricate heat dissipation paths in advanced 2.5D/3D chiplet systems necessitate thermal modeling frameworks that deliver detailed thermal maps w... » read more

Research Bits: Dec. 22


Photonic memory Researchers from the University of Southern California Information Sciences Institute and the University of Wisconsin-Madison fabricated a regenerative photonic latch memory on GlobalFoundries’ commercial silicon photonics platform, a step towards building a complete photonic SRAM system. The memory cell can store data as light and regenerate the signal to keep it stable a... » read more

Chip Industry Technical Paper Roundup: Dec 22


New technical papers recently added to Semiconductor Engineering’s library: [table id=506 /] Find more semiconductor research papers here and in the most recent Chip Industry Week in Review. » read more

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