What Is A System Now?


Defining a system used to be relatively straightforward. But as systems move onto chips, and as those chips increasingly are connected with applications and security spanning multiple devices, the definition is changing. This increases the complexity of the design process itself, and it raises questions about how chips and software will be designed and defined in the age of the [getkc id="76... » read more

Tear Down The Wall Between Front-End And Back-End Teams


As complexity of system-on-chip devices increases, it's becoming imperative for design teams and organizations to re-examine how they work with one another in order to improve productivity. One giant step in this direction is to bridge the divide between the front-end design process and the physical back-end design process. We often refer to this as a figurative “wall,” but there is real... » read more

Big Data, Big Opportunities


For the last two decades I have spent a lot of my time managing operations and sales for several EDA startups, most of which were acquired. The focus of many of these companies was to provide solutions to optimize complex designs. We worked to enhance many of the top 25 semiconductor companies’ physical implementation flows using cutting edge technologies and methodologies to improve power, p... » read more

Foundries Expand Planar Efforts


Competition is heating up in the leading-edge foundry business, as vendors begin to ramp up their new 16nm/14nm finFET processes. But that’s not the only action in the foundry arena. They are also expanding their efforts in the leading-edge planar market by rolling out new 28nm and 22nm processes. On one front, TSMC is offering new 28nm variants, based on bulk CMOS technology. And on an... » read more

New Directions For EDA


DAC is over and everyone is asking – what was the theme this year? It is sometimes difficult to make such a determination because quite often the theme has been there for some time, but suddenly appears more obvious than it did in the past. Some years it is a new product or class of products. The theme also can remain hidden, or disguised. As an example, people have been talking about the ... » read more

Analog’s Day Of Reckoning


The numbers being touted by the semiconductor industry for IoT edge devices are staggering. How they are going to be used, who will make them, or indeed who will make money from them are much less certain. The industry seems to be clear about the content of these devices. A small processor, some flash memory or possibly even some of the new memory technologies that are coming along, a radio ... » read more

IP Integration Challenges Increase


Semiconductor Engineering sat down with Chris Rowen, CTO of [getentity id="22032" e_name="Cadence"]'s IP group; Rob Aitken, an [getentity id="22186" comment="ARM"] fellow; Patrick Soheili, vice president of product management and corporate development at [getentity id="22242" e_name="eSilicon"]; Navraj Nandra, senior director of marketing for DesignWare analog and mixed-signal IP at [getentity ... » read more

Synopsys To Buy Atrenta, Ansys To Acquire Gear


By Ann Mutschler & Ed Sperling As evidence of the continued consolidation in the EDA industry, Synopsys announced Sunday it would acquire privately held formal verification provider Atrenta, for an undisclosed sum. That was followed quickly by Ansys' announcement that it would buy data analytics firm Gear Design Solutions. From a strategic perspective, Synopsys co-CEO Aart de Geus said ... » read more

Executive Insight: Charles Janac


SE: One of the big stories these days is consolidation. What are you seeing on your side? Janac: There are about 230 companies doing SoCs right now. Maybe 150 should be doing that. As the game gets more expensive and more difficult, some of the companies that don't have volume may have to do something else. Consolidation is part of that. But you're also going to see movement toward platforms... » read more

What’s Different At 16/14nm?


Will finFETs live up to their promise? It depends on whom you ask, when you ask that question, and the intended application of a design. But across the semiconductor industry, there is general agreement that it's getting easier to work at the most advanced nodes as tools and flows are better understood and overall experience increases. There is no question that [getkc id="185" kc_name="finFE... » read more

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