Gearing Up For Level 4 Vehicles


More autonomous features are being added into high-end vehicles, but getting to full autonomy will likely take years more effort, a slew of new technologies — some of which are not in use today, and some of which involve infrastructure outside the vehicle — along with sufficient volume to bring the cost of these combined capabilities down to an affordable price point. In the meantime, ma... » read more

Quantum Plus AI Widens Cyberattack Threat Concerns


Quantum computing promises revolutionary changes to the computing paradigm that the semiconductor industry has operated under for decades, but it also raises the prospect of widespread cybersecurity threats. Quantum computing cyberattacks will occur millions of times faster than any assault conventional computing can muster. And while quantum computing is in an early stage of development, ex... » read more

The Threat Of Supply Chain Insecurity


Concerns about counterfeit chips are growing as more chips are deployed in safety- and mission-critical applications, prompting better traceability and new and inexpensive solutions that can determine if chips are new or used. But some counterfeit chips still slip through, and the problem gets worse wherever there are shortages. Estimates vary widely for how much counterfeiting costs in term... » read more

Designing Vehicles Virtually


The shift toward software-defined vehicles (SDVs), electric vehicles (EVs), and ultimately autonomous vehicles (AVs) is proving the value and exposing the weaknesses in simulating individual components and complete vehicles. The ability to model this intensely complex maze of real-world interactions and possible scenarios is improving, and it's happening faster than comparable road-testing o... » read more

Setting Standards For The Chip Industry


For all the advances in semiconductor design, and the astonishing scales on which the industry now works, when it comes to standards committee meetings, not much has changed. Advice from a 91-year-old retired engineer can sound surprisingly like advice from those active today. Standards were then, and continue to be, a mix of technical compromises and corporate politics, as well as passionate a... » read more

Automotive Complexity, Supply Chain Strength Demands Tech Collaboration


The automotive supply chain is becoming more complex and collaborative, changing longstanding relationships between automakers and their suppliers in ways that would have seemed unimaginable even a couple of years ago. Rather than just developing parts for a tightly defined specification, suppliers are taking an increasingly active role in determining how various technologies are combined, w... » read more

AI Transformer Models Enable Machine Vision Object Detection


The object detection required for machine vision applications such as autonomous driving, smart manufacturing, and surveillance applications depends on AI modeling. The goal now is to improve the models and simplify their development. Over the years, many AI models have been introduced, including YOLO, Faster R-CNN, Mask R-CNN, RetinaNet, and others, to detect images or video signals, interp... » read more

Creating IP In The Shadow Of ISO 26262


On many levels, designing IP for the automotive sector is similar to targeting aerospace or medical devices — human lives are at risk if something goes wrong, and the list of regulations is significant. In practice, it can turn an interesting chip design project into a complex and often frustrating checklist exercise. In the case of ISO 26262, that includes a 12-part standard for automotiv... » read more

Multiple Hurdles In The Race To 6G


The rollout of 6G will open the door to significant changes and possibilities, but whether this technology lives up to the hype will require massive collaborative efforts, huge investments in infrastructure, and solving some problems for which there are no precedents. Multiple companies are already working on 6G technology, aiming for a maximum download speed of one terabit per second (Tb/s)... » read more

Wi-Fi 7 Moves Forward, Adding Yet Another Protocol


The latest generation Wi-Fi protocol brings better speeds and data handling, but it does little to bridge various communications technologies. That, in turn, makes it more difficult and more expensive to design chips because they must integrate and support multiple wireless technologies, including different versions of the same technology. Wireless communications technologies are often victi... » read more

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