Small Vs. Large Language Models


The proliferation of edge AI will require fundamental changes in language models and chip architectures to make inferencing and learning outside of AI data centers a viable option. The initial goal for small language models (SLMs) — roughly 10 billion parameters or less, compared to more than a trillion parameters in the biggest LLMs — was to leverage them exclusively for inferencing. In... » read more

Chip Industry Week in Review


San Francisco-based Substrate raised more than $100 million to build a vertically integrated foundry that uses particle accelerators to produce "the world's brightest beams, enabling a new method of advanced X-ray lithography." The company claims its technology is comparable to ASML's high NA EUV, and notes it can extend well beyond 2nm. ASML has not publicly commented. The Nexperia chip sho... » read more

Thermal, Mechanical, And Material Stresses Grow With Die Stacking


Managing thermal and mechanical stress in multi-die assemblies will require a detailed knowledge of how and where a device will be used, how it will be packaged, and where stresses could cause problems at any point during its expected lifetime. This includes everything from workload-dependent thermal gradients to mechanical and electrical stress, which may become more pronounced over time wi... » read more

Even With AI Inroads, Human Chip Designers Still Essential


The proliferation of AI tools seems perfectly matched to fill a talent shortage, but a closer look shows the skills do not entirely overlap. Certain parts of the EDA pipeline require human engineers, and it seems likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future. The dark art of analog design, the final word on safety-critical functional safety, high-level architectural decisions, product i... » read more

Enhancing PCIe 6.0 Performance: Flit Sequence Numbers And Selective NAK Explained


The Flit Sequence Number is a mechanism introduced in the PCIe 6.0 specification, accompanying the transition to Flit Mode operation. This enhancement supersedes the legacy transaction layer packet (TLP) sequence numbering, along with its associated acknowledgment and replay protocols. What is a Flit Sequence Number? Historically, each TLP carried an explicit sequence number, which, while con... » read more

Advances In Formal Verification Technology


Experts at the table: Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss advances in formal verification tools and methodologies with Ashish Darbari, CEO for Axiomise; Jin Zhang, product management group director for the Verification Group at Cadence; Sean Safarpour, executive director for R&D at Synopsys; and Jeremy Levitt, principal engineer for Digital Verification Technology at Siemens EDA.... » read more

Ebook: The Impact of AI On Data Center Design


AI is reshaping the data center industry. Rising power demands, advanced cooling needs, and digital twin technology are redefining how facilities are designed and operated. Download our free ebook on AI-optimized data centers to learn: How AI workloads are driving massive increases in power and cooling requirements Why liquid cooling is becoming essential for AI infrastructure ... » read more

Blog Review: Oct. 29


Siemens' Ujjwal Negi and Prashant Dixit warn that while UCIe 3.0 improves performance and efficiency through higher data rates, runtime recalibration, priority sideband messaging, low-power sideband operation, and circular buffer transport, those enhancements also increase verification complexity. Cadence's Anika Sunda suggests that a unified digital thread that connects verification environ... » read more

Chip Industry Technical Paper Roundup: Oct. 28


New technical papers recently added to Semiconductor Engineering’s library: [table id=486 /] Find more semiconductor research papers here. » read more

Chip Industry Week in Review


Retaliations and countermoves leading up to planned trade talks between the U.S. and China led experts to wonder, 'Who's winning?' New activity on this front: China issued questionnaires to some U.S. semiconductor firms as part of an anti-dumping probe, demanding detailed data on sales, profit margins, logistics costs and Chinese customer names for analog chips. The probe appears aimed at ... » read more

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