category: Special Reports

category: IoT, Security & Automotive

What Causes Semiconductor Aging?
By Bryon Moyer - 08 Feb, 2022 - Comments: 7

Semiconductor technology has evolved to the point where no one can assume chips will last forever. If not carefully considered, aging can shorten the life of an IC below the needs for an intended application. Aging is well studied in technology circles, but while others less directly involved may understand at a general level this is a problem, it's not always obvious why. So what exactly ar... » read more

Next-Gen 3D Chip/Packaging Race Begins
By Mark LaPedus - 31 Jan, 2022 - Comments: 5

The first wave of chips is hitting the market using a technology called hybrid bonding, setting the stage for a new and competitive era of 3D-based chip products and advanced packages. AMD is the first vendor to unveil chips using copper hybrid bonding, an advanced die-stacking technology that enables next-generation 3D-like devices and packages. Hybrid bonding stacks and connects chips usin... » read more

Automotive Outlook: 2022
By Ann Mutschler - 06 Jan, 2022 - Comments: 0

The auto industry is widening its focus this year, migrating to new architectures that embrace better security, faster data movement, and eventually more manageable costs. The auto industry is facing both short-term and long-term challenges. In the short term, the chip shortage continues to top the list of concerns for the world's automakers. That shortage has delayed new vehicle deliveries,... » read more

Expanding Advanced Packaging Production In The U.S.
By Mark LaPedus - 05 Jan, 2022 - Comments: 0

The United States is taking the first steps toward bringing larger-scale IC packaging production capabilities back to the U.S. as supply chain concerns and trade tensions grow. The U.S. is among the leaders in developing packages, especially new and advanced forms of the technology that promise to shake up the semiconductor landscape. And while the U.S. has several packaging vendors, North A... » read more

Reliability Concerns Shift Left Into Chip Design
By Ann Mutschler - 22 Dec, 2021 - Comments: 1

Demand for lower defect rates and higher yields is increasing, in part because chips are now being used for safety- and mission-critical applications, and in part because it's a way of offsetting rising design and manufacturing costs. What's changed is the new emphasis on solving these problems in the initial design. In the past, defectivity and yield were considered problems for the fab. Re... » read more

Big Changes Ahead For Inside Auto Cabins
By Bryon Moyer - 08 Dec, 2021 - Comments: 0

The space we occupy inside our vehicles is poised to change from mere enclosure to participant in the driving experience. Whether for safety or for comfort, a wide range of sensors are likely to appear that will monitor the “contents” of the vehicle. The overall approach is referred to as an in-cabin monitoring system (ICMS), but the specific applications vary widely. “In-cabin sensing... » read more

Why It’s So Difficult — And Costly — To Secure Chips
By Ed Sperling - 02 Dec, 2021 - Comments: 0

Rising concerns about the security of chips used in everything from cars to data centers are driving up the cost and complexity of electronic systems in a variety of ways, some obvious and others less so. Until very recently, semiconductor security was viewed more as a theoretical threat than a real one. Governments certainly worried about adversaries taking control of secure systems through... » read more

Missing Interposer Abstractions And Standards
By Brian Bailey - 29 Nov, 2021 - Comments: 0

The design and analysis of an SoC based on an interposer is not for the faint of heart today, but the industry is aware of the challenges and is attempting to solve them. Until that happens, however, it will be a technique that only large companies can deploy because they need to treat everything almost as if it were a single die. The construction of large systems uses techniques, such as ab... » read more

China Accelerates Foundry, Power Semi Efforts
By Mark LaPedus - 22 Nov, 2021 - Comments: 4

China has unveiled several initiatives to advance its domestic semiconductor industry, including a new and massive fab expansion campaign in the foundry, gallium-nitride (GaN), and silicon carbide (SiC) markets. The nation is making a big push into what it calls “third-generation semiconductors,” which is a misnomer. The term actually refers to two existing and common power semiconductor... » read more

Easier And Faster Ways To Train AI
By Bryon Moyer - 04 Nov, 2021 - Comments: 0

Training an AI model takes an extraordinary amount of effort and data. Leveraging existing training can save time and money, accelerating the release of new products that use the model. But there are a few ways this can be done, most notably through transfer and incremental learning, and each of them has its applications and tradeoffs. Transfer learning and incremental learning both take pre... » read more

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