Servers Are Becoming More Heterogeneous


The number of CPUs in a server is growing, and so is the number of vendors that make those processors. CPU server build has been one, two, four, and occasionally more x86 processors, with IBM’s Power and Z series as the major exception. While x86 processors aren't necessarily being replaced, they are being complimented and augmented with new processor designs for a variety of more speciali... » read more

Know Your Own Power, Early And Accurately


By Taruna Reddy and Vin Liao Chip designers have always had to balance timing and area. Everyone wants a design as fast as possible and as compact as possible, but these two goals are usually in conflict. For the last couple of decades, minimal power consumption has been a third goal, often of equal importance. Some of the biggest drivers for the semiconductor industry are battery operated p... » read more

A New Way To Create Structures


Let’s focus today on an established routing technology with a new twist! All of you are doubtless familiar with the concept of structures – formerly called via structures, renamed to structures because of their growing flexibility and application across many flows. These handy, reusable blocks of routing allow you to quickly fan out the most complex of component interfaces. And, after that,... » read more

Using AWS Cloud Services For IC Library Characterization That Is Scalable, Secure, And Fast


Siemens’ AMS Verification team and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have collaborated to provide users with a scalable, secure and cost-effective cloud characterization flow that enables users to leverage cloud computing resources to accelerate library characterization, reduce compute resource bottlenecks, as well as improve characterization runtime predictability. To read more, click here. » read more

Powering The Edge: Driving Optimal Performance With Ethos-N77 Processor


Repurposing a CPU, GPU, or DSP is an easy way to add ML capabilities to an edge device. However, where responsiveness or power efficiency is critical, a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) may be the best solution. In this paper, we describe how the Arm Ethos-N77 NPU delivers optimal performance. Click here to read more. » read more

Optimizing Power Supply


Any electrical engineer knows providing power to your board is a key feature in PCB design. While most boards can be functional, their true quality shines when the perfect level of power to components is achieved. Building and designing better power supplies is the best way to ensure the end-product has full life-cycle potential. But how do we ensure we can convert a (potentially variable) i... » read more

Data Center Evolution: DDR5 DIMMs Advance Server Performance


Driven by a confluence of megatrends, global data traffic is increasing at an exponential rate. For example, 5G networks are enabling billions of AI-powered IoT devices untethered from wired networks. Nowhere is the impact of all this growth being felt more intensely than in data centers. Indeed, hyperscale data centers have become the critical hubs of the global data network. DDR5 DRAM will en... » read more

Turning Cars Into Mobile Devices: MIPI


Everyone remembers their first car – how you could go where you wanted to go, moving faster and going longer distances – you were mobile. Yes, our cars made us mobile, but today’s cars are becoming mobile devices themselves. More than a means of transportation, cars are evolving into complete mobile devices – connecting and connected to the internet, transportation grids, and to each ot... » read more

Blog Review: Feb. 10


Cadence's Paul McLellan finds out some of the pressing technological challenges and opportunities at the recent SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium, from the purity of gases and other materials used in semiconductor manufacturing to increasing cost and time-to-market pressures. Siemens EDA's Harry Foster examines trends in low power ASIC and IC design, including active management of power and t... » read more

DRAM’s Persistent Threat To Chip Security


A well-known DRAM vulnerability called "rowhammer," which allows an assailant to disrupt or take control of a system, continues to haunt the chip industry. Solutions have been tried, and new ones are being proposed, but the potential for a major attack persists. First discovered some five years ago, most of the efforts to eliminate the "rowhammer" threat have done little more than mitigate t... » read more

← Older posts Newer posts →