Why Move To 2nm?


Key Takeaways: Scaling digital logic still provides significant benefits, especially lower power. Multi-die assemblies will be the predominant approach, and most of the circuitry will not be 2nm or below. While these systems are inherently more flexible, the number and complexity of tradeoffs required for optimizing PPA/C are increasing. The rollout of 2nm process nodes and ... » read more

Chiplet Fundamentals For Engineers: eBook


Multi-die assemblies are the next phase of Moore's Law, scaling up and out  to improve performance and add flexibility into designs. By decomposing SoCs into building blocks, yield improves for the individual dies and overall performance increases because a chip is no longer bound by reticle limits. But this is much harder than it sounds. Chiplets don't just snap together like LEGOs, and so... » read more

Does Your RISC-V Core Meet The Standard?


Key Takeaways Architectural conformance and implementation verification are necessary but different for RISC-V designs, yet few verification engineers have experience on the conformance side. While RISC-V enables flexibility, there is a potential for ecosystem fragmentation. It is mathematically impossible to test every instruction combination, so engineers are moving beyond just "bl... » read more

Multi-Die Assemblies Require More Detailed Test Plan Earlier


Key Takeaways Design for test takes on new urgency in complex multi-die assemblies, where it can be used to minimize downstream errors and the cost of fixing them. DFT needs to be increasingly detailed due to more connections and the inability to access some components. DFT strategies need to be developed earlier and may require multiple testing approaches. Multi-die assembl... » read more

AI’s Impact On Engineering Jobs May Be Different Than Expected


Key Takeaways: AI is expected to eliminate many repetitive, entry-level tasks, but that may allow engineering students trained on the latest tools to start in more senior positions. AI is a force multiplier. It can accelerate the learning curve for junior engineers. While AI is very good at solving multi-dimensional problems, domain expertise, critical thinking, and sanity checks wil... » read more

Balancing Training, Quantization, And Hardware Integration In NPUs


Experts At The Table: AI/ML is driving a steep ramp in neural processing unit (NPU) design activity for everything from data centers to edge devices such as PCs and smartphones. Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss this with Jason Lawley, director of product marketing, AI IP at Cadence; Sharad Chole, chief scientist and co-founder at Expedera; Steve Roddy, chief marketing officer at Qu... » read more

Every Atom Now Counts In Advanced Chip Manufacturing


Artificial-intelligence workloads are pushing semiconductor design to a point where traditional scaling strategies are running out of room. Performance improvements that once came from shrinking transistors now depend increasingly on how devices are stacked, interconnected, and isolated. Transistor scaling still matters, but advanced device architectures no longer can accommodate the power dens... » read more

An Explosion In Interconnect Complexity


For decades, electronics offered two levels of routing structure to manage signals that originate or terminate in an integrated circuit. Recently, that number has risen to five, and while it adds far more flexibility for structuring electronic equipment, it also brings greater complexity and ratchets up the number of design decisions needed to complete a project. This transition has been evo... » read more

Oxides Bring Low Leakage Transistors To Leading-Edge Memories


AI workloads need to position more memory that uses less power in ever-closer proximity to computational logic. That overriding imperative is driving new memory designs and new materials exploration across a wide range of applications, including cache memory, working memory, as well as a new category, non-volatile memory used for direct computation. The largest of these, by volume, is workin... » read more

Addressing Critical Tradeoffs In NPU Design


Experts At The Table: AI/ML are driving a steep ramp in neural processing unit (NPU) design activity for everything from data centers to edge devices such as PCs and smartphones. Semiconductor Engineering sat down with Jason Lawley, director of product marketing, AI IP at Cadence; Sharad Chole, chief scientist and co-founder at Expedera; Steve Roddy, chief marketing officer at Quadric; Steven W... » read more

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