Enabling ISO 26262 Qualification


ISO 26262 focuses on the functional safety of electrical and electronic systems that are installed in series production passenger cars. This adaptation of IEC 61508 is for the automotive sector and affects all systems containing software- or hardware-based electrical, electronic, or electromechanical components. ISO 26262 covers many aspects of safety-related automotive software production, i... » read more

What Ford Is Driving


Jim Buczkowski, director of electrical and electronics systems research and advanced engineering at Ford Motor Co., sat down with Semiconductor Engineering to talk about quality, security, architectures, packaging and automotive's unique constraints. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. SE: As more electronic content is included in automobiles, what kinds of issues are you dealing... » read more

NXP To Buy Freescale For $16.7B


By Ann Steffora Mutschler & Ed Sperling Dutch semiconductor giant NXP Semiconductors will buy Texas-based Freescale Semiconductor for $16.7 billion—$11.8 billion in cash, $5.6 billion worth of debts, minus $696 million in cash reserves—creating a combined company with a broad-based product portfolio and projected annual revenue of more than $10 billion. Given the size of the deal... » read more

Week 38: Finishing The DAC Program


The DAC executive committee convened last week for a two-day meeting to finalize the technical program. We call this the Wintermeeting, which by tradition is usually held at a destination chosen by the general chair. This year it was my turn and I selected a dude ranch in Wickenburg, Arizona. While the meeting serves the purpose of locking down all the final details for the conference program, ... » read more

Executive Insight: Frankwell Lin


Semiconductor Engineering sat down with Frankwell Lin, president and co-founder of [getentity id="22866" e_name="Andes Technology"], to talk about the IoT, what's required in devices and what will likely change over the next few years. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. SE: What are the big market opportunities in the Asia/Pacific region? Lin: The big market is the [getkc id=... » read more

Week 36: A Trip To Houston


I have to admit it, I am impressed. Actually “impressed” doesn’t really capture it. I’m awed. On Friday we had the DAC Technical Program Committee (TPC) meeting in Houston—147 members of the TPC spent the day discussing the submitted papers. It was quite a scene. All of us were in one large room, with each big table representing one subcommittee. By the end of the day in Houston, the ... » read more

ARM Buys Dutch IoT Security Company


ARM said today it purchased Offspark, a Dutch IoT security software company, expanding its reach into the embedded IoT world where security is emerging as one of the most pressing concerns. The deal expands ARM's focus on security, which until now has largely been focused on its TrustZone technology inside its processors. TrustZone is a hardware solution that allows compartmentalization betw... » read more

Week 35: Automotive At DAC


With my adopted hometown preparing for the Portland Auto Show, I thought it an opportune time to revisit automotive at DAC. Scanning the news releases, it seems that here in Portland the focus will be on things like horsepower, handling and, of course, design — the usual fare for an auto show. In contrast at DAC, we’ll be talking about the rapid increase in content and complexity that has m... » read more

Self-Driving Cars?


The dream of hopping in your car and lounging on a bench seat that faces sideways or backward while it delivers you to your destination is a really nice idea. It's akin to upgrading from economy class seat on an airline to your own private jet. But this idea also faces some huge hurdles. First and foremost is liability. If an autonomous vehicle gets into an accident, who's responsible? If it... » read more

Challenges For IC Security


Keeping chips secure is really a foot race between the good guys and the bad guys. Going forward, expect heavily funded, grouped efforts to place tremendous pressure on security envelopes. This includes everything from simple home devices, such as routers, to the most critical infrastructures, such as power, telecom, transportation, and soon, the IoT. Fig. 1: Courtesy of Blade Genexis I... » read more

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