New Applications, Multiple Approaches


It may be tempting to view the strong demand for semiconductors as just one more up-cycle in our traditionally cyclical industry, but what’s really driving things right now is the opening of entirely new horizons, made possible by the increased capabilities of today’s chips. Chip demand is no longer only being driven by the needs of computer and smartphone manufacturers. Now, a mushroomi... » read more

Blog Review: Mar. 14


Cadence's Meera Collier considers the issues of bias implementation in algorithms and AI systems, and whether immense training sets can really solve the problem. Mentor's Cristian Filip digs into the evolution of signal integrity analysis methods and why different data rates require different solutions. Synopsys' Naveen G explains key features introduced in the latest generation of interc... » read more

Multiphysics Reliability Signoff For Next-Gen Auto Electronics Systems


The automotive industry is in the midst of a sea change. Growing market needs for electrification, connectivity on the go, advanced driver assistance systems, and ultimately the goal of autonomous driving, are creating newer requirements and greater challenges. A chassis on four wheels is now fitted with cameras, radar and other sensors, which will be the eyes of the driverless car, as well as ... » read more

The Week In Review: Design


M&A Microchip inked an agreement to acquire Microsemi, provider of chips for defense and aerospace, for $68.78 per share in cash. The acquisition price represents a total equity value of about $8.35 billion and a total enterprise value of about $10.15 billion, according to Microchip. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2018. Silvaco acquired NanGate. Founded in 2004, ... » read more

Exponentials At The Edge


The age of portable communication has set off a scramble for devices that can achieve almost anything a desktop computer could handle even five years ago. But this is just the beginning. The big breakthrough with mobile devices was the ability to combine voice calls, text and eventually e-mail, providing the rudiments of a mobile office-all on a single charge of a battery that was light enou... » read more

How AI Impacts Memory Systems


Throughout the 1980’s and early 1990’s computer systems were bottlenecked by relatively slow CPU performance, thereby limiting what applications could do. Driven by Moore’s Law, transistor counts increased significantly over the years, improving system performance and enabling exciting new computing possibilities. Although computing capabilities have advanced significantly in recen... » read more

Intelligence At The Edge Is Transforming Our World


Innovation comes in all forms in technology, from software and hardware to displays all the way to the human-machine interface. As devices and systems become more intelligent, the onus on humans to learn the machine’s ways is shifting. Until now, interaction with smart devices has largely relied on our ability to manipulate the machines; to learn their language to input and extract the inform... » read more

Investors Back IoT Startups


Internet of Things startups took in more than $1.35 billion from corporate and private investors during the latter half of 2017, for a total of about $2.2 billion in the full year. Chicago-based Uptake Technologies, an Industrial IoT startup, had the biggest haul of the year, with $117 million raised in a Series D round, on top of a $90 million Series C round earlier in 2017, bringing its to... » read more

Blog Review: Mar. 7


Synopsys' Amit Paunikar and Shaily Khare take a look at new features in LPDDR5, from improved data bandwidth and Deep Sleep Mode to WCK clock. Cadence's Paul McLellan dives into forward error correction, a technique for automatically correcting errors in transmitted network data, with a look at why it's important and how it works. In his latest embedded software video, Mentor's Colin Wall... » read more

Is Advanced Packaging The Next SoC?


Device scaling appears to be possible down to 1.2nm, and maybe even beyond that. What isn't obvious is when scaling will reach that node, how many companies will actually use it, or even what chips will look like when foundries actually start turning out these devices using multi-patterning with high-NA EUV and dielectrics with single-digit numbers of atoms. There are two big changes playing... » read more

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