category: Special Reports

category: IoT, Security & Automotive

Moore’s Law: A Status Report
By Ed Sperling - 20 Apr, 2017 - Comments: 3

Moore's Law has been synonymous with "smaller, faster, cheaper" for the past 52 years, but increasingly it is viewed as just one of a number of options—some competing, some complementary—as the chip industry begins zeroing in on specific market needs. This does not make [getkc id="74" comment="Moore's Law"] any less relevant. The number of companies racing from 16/14nm to 7nm is higher t... » read more

The Great Machine Learning Race
By Ed Sperling - 03 Apr, 2017 - Comments: 2

Processor makers, tools vendors, and packaging houses are racing to position themselves for a role in machine learning, despite the fact that no one is quite sure which architecture is best for this technology or what ultimately will be successful. Rather than dampen investments, the uncertainty is fueling a frenzy. Money is pouring in from all sides. According to a new Moor Insights report,... » read more

HBM Upstages DDR In Bandwidth, Power
By Ann Mutschler - 30 Mar, 2017 - Comments: 1

For graphics, networking, and high performance computing, the latest iteration of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) continues to rise up as a viable contender against conventional DDR, GDDR designs, and other advanced memory architectures such as the Hybrid Memory Cube. [getkc id="276" kc_name="HBM"] enables lower power consumption per I/O and higher bandwidth memory access with a more condensed f... » read more

China: Fab Boom or Bust?
By Mark LaPedus - 16 Mar, 2017 - Comments: 2

China’s semiconductor industry continues to expand at a frenetic pace. At present there are nearly two dozen new fab projects in China. Whether all these fab projects get off the ground is not entirely clear because the dynamics in China remain fluid. What is clear is the motivation behind this building frenzy—China is trying to reduce its huge trade imbalance in ICs. The country continu... » read more

Antenna Design Grows Up
By Ann Mutschler - 09 Mar, 2017 - Comments: 2

Apple’s iPhone 4 antenna issue represents a classic example of what can go wrong in modern antenna design. Put one in the wrong place, and a seemingly insignificant part can turn a cool new product into a public relations nightmare. Ever since antennas dropped out of sight, most consumers don't give them a second thought. In the 1960s, almost every home had a rooftop antenna. Fast forward ... » read more

What Does An AI Chip Look Like?
By Ed Sperling - 01 Mar, 2017 - Comments: 5

Depending upon your point of reference, artificial intelligence will be the next big thing or it will play a major role in all of the next big things. This explains the frenzy of activity in this sector over the past 18 months. Big companies are paying billions of dollars to acquire startup companies, and even more for R&D. In addition, governments around the globe are pouring additional... » read more

Battling Fab Cycle Times
By Mark LaPedus - 16 Feb, 2017 - Comments: 9

The shift from planar devices to finFETs enables chipmakers to scale their processes and devices from 16nm/14nm and beyond, but the industry faces several challenges at each node. Cost and technical issues are the obvious challenges. In addition, cycle time—a key but less publicized part of the chip-scaling equation—also is increasing at every turn, creating more angst for chipmakers and... » read more

Devices Threatened By Analog Content?
By Brian Bailey - 09 Feb, 2017 - Comments: 0

As the amount of analog content in connected devices explodes, ensuring that the analog portion works properly has taken on a new level of urgency. Analog circuitry is required for interpreting the physical world and for moving data to other parts of the system, while digital circuitry is the fastest way to process it. So a sensor that gives a faulty reading in a car moving at high speed or ... » read more

Betting On Wafer-Level Fan-Outs
By Ed Sperling - 06 Feb, 2017 - Comments: 2

Advanced packaging is starting to gain traction as a commercially viable business model rather than just one more possible option, propelled by the technical difficulties in routing signals at 10nm and 7nm and skyrocketing costs of device scaling on a single die. The inclusion of a [getkc id="202" kc_name="fan-out"] package for logic in Apple's iPhone 7, based on TSMC's Integrated Fan-Out (... » read more

China Unveils Memory Plans
By Mark LaPedus - 19 Jan, 2017 - Comments: 2

Backed by billions of dollars in government funding, China in 2014 launched a major initiative to advance its domestic semiconductor, IC-packaging and other electronic sectors. So far, though, the results are mixed. China is making progress in IC-packaging, but the nation’s efforts to advance its domestic logic and memory sectors are still a work in progress. In fact, China has yet to achi... » read more

← Older posts Newer posts →

  • Sponsors

About

Navigation

Connect With Us

Copyright ©2013-2025 SMG   |  Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy