Demystifying EDA Support For ISO 26262 Tool Qualification


My new, mid-size car is equipped with many advanced driver-assistance systems. To be honest, it’s taking me time to get used to some of them, as, for example, lane-centering assist that seamlessly takes control of my steering wheel. However, I cannot wait to get my hands off a fully autonomous vehicle and be able to take a nap while 7nm chips run machine learning and other artificial intellig... » read more

Verification Trends Enabling A 5G Future


Applications have driven requirements for verification for quite some time now, as I have written previously regarding Aero & Defense, AI and Machine Learning and the Internet of Things. In wireless communication, we are just at the brink of the transition to Fifth Generation Networks, or 5G. This transition will not only lead to new applications and use models that will impact our day-to-d... » read more

Is Synthesis Still Process-Independent?


For many years, the idea that the release of a new process node from one of the major silicon foundries would require you to update your synthesis flow was a non-starter. Synthesis used the available timing, area and power models in the libraries and that was the beginning and end of the discussion. With the arrival of physical synthesis, physical effects could be taken into consideration in... » read more

Gaps In Verification Metrics


As design complexity has exploded, the verification effort has likewise grown exponentially, with many different types of verification being applied to different classes of design. A recent panel discussion with leading chipmakers examined this topic in an effort to shed light on design health and quality, measuring the success of verification, knowing when verification is complete, being on... » read more

Big Changes For Mainstream Chip Architectures


Chipmakers are working on new architectures that significantly increase the amount of data that can be processed per watt and per clock cycle, setting the stage for one of the biggest shifts in chip architectures in decades. All of the major chipmakers and systems vendors are changing direction, setting off an architectural race that includes everything from how data is read and written in m... » read more

Accessing Registers With UVM-RAL


As a digital design or verification engineer you know that certain features or configurations of the device can be achieved by programming some registers to set values. For example, a 32-bit register can have several fields within it and each field can represent a particular feature that can be configured. The device then reads that register and uses that information to change settings or modes... » read more

Bugs That Kill


Are simulation-resistant superbugs stifling innovation? That is a question Craig Shirley, president and CEO of Oski Technology, asked a collection of semiconductor executives over dinner. Semiconductor Engineering was invited to hear that discussion and to present the key points of the discussion. To promote free conversation, the participants, who are listed below, asked not to be quoted di... » read more

The New Deep Learning Memory Architectures You Should Know About


Artificial intelligence (AI) has come a long way. While our parents grew up with the dream to one day roam with robots, today we are interviewing Sophia, a citizen of Saudi Arabia, who is also the first humanoid robot to be granted a citizenship in any country. Deep learning, a brain-inspired discipline of AI has been around for a long time but has only recently taken off due to abundant data, ... » read more

Accelerating Test Pattern Bring-Up For Rapid First Silicon Debug


Reducing the time spent on silicon bring-up is critical in getting ICs into the hands of customers and staying competitive. Typically, the silicon bring-up process involves converting the test patterns to a tester-specific format and generating a test program that is executed by Automatic Test Equipment (ATE). This standard silicon bring-up flow is becoming too slow and expensive, especially fo... » read more

Choosing The Right Illumination Design Software


As a decision maker responsible for making the right choices for your company’s bottom line, which optical design software should you choose? If the performance or cost of your illumination subsystem is critical to the success of your products, the answer is LightTools. LightTools will increase your engineering productivity, enable faster time to market, and provide your products the competit... » read more

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