IBM Unloads Chip Biz To GF


By Ed Sperling & Mark LaPedus After months of on-again, off-again negotiations, [getentity id="22306" comment="IBM"] agreed to hand over its Microelectronics unit to [getentity id="22819" comment="GlobalFoundries"] for $1.5 billion—meaning IBM will actually pay GlobalFoundries that amount to get rid of what has become an albatross for Big Blue. To really sweeten the deal, GlobalFoundr... » read more

Litho Options Sparse After 10nm


Leading-edge foundries are ramping up their 16nm/14nm logic processes, with 10nm and 7nm in R&D. Barring a major breakthrough in [getkc id="80" comment="lithography"], chipmakers will use 193nm immersion and multiple patterning for both 16nm/14nm and 10nm. So now, chipmakers are focusing on the lithography options for 7nm. As before, the options include the usual suspects—[gettech id="... » read more

Design Rules Explode At New Nodes


Semiconductor Engineering sat down changing design rules with Sergey Shumarayev, senior director of custom IP design at Altera; Luigi Capodieci, R&D fellow at [getentity id="22819" comment="GlobalFoundries"]; Michael White, director of product marketing for Calibre Physical Verification at [getentity id="22017" e_name="Mentor Graphics"], and Coby Zelnik, CEO of [getentity id="22478" e_name=... » read more

Will There Be A DDR5?


DDR4 rollouts have begun. And in the DRAM world that begs the question, 'What comes next?' The answer isn't so obvious. While there have been suggestions inside of JEDEC — the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council, which has overseen the standards for double-data-rate synchronous DRAM — to develop a DDR5 standard, it's not the only solution being considered. And in the minds of some... » read more

The Week In Review: Design


IP Synopsys rolled out verification IP for mobile PCIe, including built-in M-PHY, for UVM environments. Cadence introduced MIPI SoundWire controller IP, which allows bi-directional digital communication using low gate count and minimal complexity. Deals ARM and TSMC rolled out a road map for 64-bit ARM-based processors at 10nm. The companies said the early pathfinding work is expected t... » read more

The Week In Review: Design


IP ARM introduced a new software platform and a free operating system aimed at IoT development. The OS incorporates security, communication and device management features for improved energy efficiency. The device server simplifies the connection and management of devices, incorporating security and improving efficiency. Cadence rolled out a broad IP portfolio for TSMC's 16nm platform, and ... » read more

The Real Numbers: Redefining NRE


Developing ICs at the most advanced nodes is getting more expensive, but exactly how much more expensive is the subject of debate across the semiconductor industry. There are a number of reasons for this discrepancy. Among them: As design flows shift from serial to parallel, it's hard to determine which groups within companies should be saddled with different portions of the bill. The re... » read more

Which Comes First?


Methodologies in IC design typically follow tools. The tools enable the methodologies, and chipmakers' businesses are built around both of them. That has been the rock-solid foundation for the design and production of chips since well before the impenetrable 1-micron wall. But that approach is falling apart at 28nm, and it will continue to crumble at 16/14nm and 10nm. It simply isn't fast en... » read more

Challenges Increase for IP At Advanced Nodes


At advanced process nodes such as 16/14/10nm, designing [getkc id="43" comment="IP"] is a much tougher nut to crack due to complexity and other considerations, not to mention then trying to migrate and/or re-use that IP. Still, engineering teams are looking for leverage wherever they can find it in their designs amid the technical challenges to overcome. Tomasz Wojcicki, vice president of c... » read more

Executive Insight: Lip-Bu Tan


Semiconductor Engineering sat down with [getperson id="11693" comment="Lip-Bu Tan"], president and CEO of [getentity id="22032" e_name ="Cadence"], to discuss his outlook on EDA, Moore’s Law and his strategy for investing in startups around the world. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. SE: What’s worrying you these days? Tan: There are a couple of things. One is the complex... » read more

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