Research Bits: Feb. 22


Dense optical data storage Researchers from the University of Southampton developed a laser writing method for producing high-density nanostructures in silica glass, which could be used for long-term, dense data storage. “Individuals and organizations are generating ever-larger datasets, creating the desperate need for more efficient forms of data storage with a high capacity, low energy ... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Feb. 15


3D printed piezoelectrics Researchers at University of Notre Dame and Purdue University developed a hybrid 3D printer that combines multi-material aerosol jet printing and extrusion printing, integrating both functional and structural materials into a single printing platform. They used it to create an all-printed piezoelectric wearable device. The stretchable piezoelectric sensors conform ... » read more

Improving PPA In Complex Designs With AI


The goal of chip design always has been to optimize power, performance, and area (PPA), but results can vary greatly even with the best tools and highly experienced engineering teams. Optimizing PPA involves a growing number of tradeoffs that can vary by application, by availability of IP and other components, as well as the familiarity of engineers with different tools and methodologies. Fo... » read more

What Will Be The Killer App For 5G? Time To Place Your Bets


5G is here. But where will its capabilities soar first? Here are my guesses for where the breakthroughs could occur along with factors that might hold it back. 1. Supply Chain. The world’s 5,300+ plus cargo ships carry 90% of the world’s freight and can collectively hold 1.97 billion deadweight tons of cargo. 5G—delivered through private networks or secure slices of public networks—c... » read more

CFD Playing Increasing Role In Design


With thermal issues and constraints increasing becoming integral concerns of electronics design, computational fluid dynamics technology is gaining traction as a way to model, analyze, predict, and ideally prevent thermal problems from materializing. From cooling a board to cooling a chip with a fan and heat sinks, all of this relies on air flow for the cooling, or the flow of liquid in some... » read more

Enhancing Datasets For Artificial Intelligence Through Model-Based Methods


By Dirk Mayer and Ulf Wetzker Industrial plants and processes are now digitized and networked, and AI can be used to evaluate the data generated by those facilities to increase productivity and quality. Machine learning (ML) methods can be applied to: Product quality classification in complex production processes. Condition monitoring of technical systems, which is used, for examp... » read more

Context-Aware SPICE Simulation Improves The Fidelity Of ESD Analysis


Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a major reliability concern for integrated circuit (IC) designs. ESD verification is proving to be a significant challenge at advanced nodes, due to growing IC design complexity and transistor counts. Traditional ESD verification approaches using parasitic extraction followed by SPICE simulation are deficient in providing simulation results in a practical runtim... » read more

Why Data Center Power Will Never Come Down


Data centers have become significant consumers of energy. In order to deal with the proliferation of data centers and the servers within them, there is a big push to reduce the energy consumption of all data center components. With all that effort, will data center power really come down? The answer is no, despite huge improvements in energy efficiency. “Keeping data center power consum... » read more

AI Everywhere: Accelerating Chip Design At Every Node


Over the last few years, artificial Intelligence (AI) has increasingly played a significant role in the chip development process. But, when people talk about AI-designed chips, it is usually in the context of the latest, cutting-edge designs manufactured at advanced process nodes (7/5nm and smaller) and for good reason. Such designs constantly push the bounds of power, performance, and area (PP... » read more

It’s Official: HBM3 Dons The Crown Of Bandwidth King


With the publishing of the HBM3 update to the High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) standard, a new king of bandwidth is crowned. The torrid performance demands of advanced workloads, with AI/ML training leading the pack, drive the need for ever faster delivery of bits. Memory bandwidth is a critical enabler of computing performance, thus the need for the accelerated evolution of the standard with HBM3 r... » read more

← Older posts Newer posts →