What Not To Verify


It is well understood that [getkc id="10" kc_name="verification"] is all about mitigating and managing risk, and success here begins with a good verification planning process. During the planning process, the project team creates a list of specific design functions and use cases that must be verified—and they identify the technique used to verify each specific item on the list. That list c... » read more

What EDA’s Big 3 Think Now


In the past two months the CEOs of Cadence, Synopsys and Mentor Graphics delivered their annual high-level messages to their respective user groups. Semiconductor Engineering attended all of the speeches at these conferences, as it did in 2014 (see story here). From a high level, the big issues for CEOs last year were Moore's Law, the costs of design, the impact of low power, and business-... » read more

Is Art Acceptable In Verification?


The industry appears to have accepted that [getkc id="10" kc_name="verification"] involves art as well as science. This is usually based on one of three reasons, namely: the problem is large and complex; there is a lack of understanding and tools that enable it to be automated; and if it could be made a science, all of the jobs would have migrated offshore. Today, designs are built from pre-... » read more

Pressure Builds To Revamp The Design Flow


Without [getkc id="7" kc_name="EDA"] there would be no [getkc id="74" comment="Moore's Law"] as we know it today, and without Moore's Law there would be a much more limited need for EDA. But after more than three decades of developing design flows packed with sophisticated tools to automate semiconductor design through verification, and thereby enable feature shrinks that are the basis of Moore... » read more

Tech Talk: Virtual Prototyping


Bill Neifert, CTO of Carbon Design Systems, talks with about the intersection of IP and EDA, driven in particular by ARM's new architecture. [youtube vid=1OopYWmRarE] » read more

EDA Sets New Record


EDA revenue grew 11.9% in Q4 2014 to $2.1 billion, a new record for the industry, propelled by strong growth in both IP and physical design. On a sequential basis, that represented a 15.1% increase, while on a year-over-year basis it was 11.9%. The four-quarter moving average, which takes into account quarterly aberrations, showed a 7.3% increase. "The semiconductor industry had a strong ... » read more

Ethernet In The Connected World


This white paper outlines the latest networking trends across some of the key market sectors including automotive, the connected home and data centers, and explains how Ethernet is relevant to each. It also explains how Synopsys responds to its customers’ needs to develop and offer configurable semiconductor IP that enables system-on-chip (SoC) design teams to quickly and reliably implement E... » read more

Will Wearables Work Well Enough?


By Ed Sperling & Ann Steffora Mutschler The rollout of the Apple Watch later this month has reset expectations for the wearable electronics market, just as early implementations of the Pebble, Fitbit and Google Glass helped raise awareness about a new level of portability and connectivity. Early projections are for strong sales, which in turn will propel a new level of connectedness for the ... » read more

Ecosystem Changes


Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss changes in the semiconductor ecosystem with Kelvin Low, senior director of foundry marketing at [getentity id="22865" e_name="Samsung Semiconductor"]; John Costello, vice president of product planning at [getentity id="22849" e_name="Altera"]; Randy Smith, vice president of marketing at [getentity id="22605" e_name="Sonics"], and Michiel Ligthart, p... » read more

Migrating Consumer Electronics To The Automotive Market With Calibre PERC


Tough reliability standards for electronic automotive safety systems ensure that integrated circuits (ICs) for these systems comply with demanding performance and reliability requirements. However, companies seeking to leverage their consumer-based intellectual property (IP) for use in automotive “infotainment” and “connected car” applications are finding that many of these performance ... » read more

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