Blog Review: June 18


Mentor’s Vern Wnek recalls “a living hell” of being trapped in a small office for three weeks with a PCB designer who ate too much garlic and sweated profusely. This could be a reality TV series. What do engineers really think about UVM? Cadence's Richard Goering braved a 7 a.m. breakfast at DAC to hear a panel of experts, including reps from Intel, Ericsson, Imagination and Freescale,... » read more

The Week In Review: Design


Tools Mentor Graphics uncorked a tool for IC, package and board optimization, assembly and visualization. Of particular note is a “virtual die model” capability, which can be used across multiple domains in the design process. Deals Rambus inked a patent licensing agreement with Qualcomm Global Trading, a subsidiary of Qualcomm, for memory, interface and security technologies. The secu... » read more

Do SoCs Need Earthquake Insurance?


RTL sign-off is not a new term, but with SoCs that can be comprised of up to 90% IP blocks combined with the complexities that advanced manufacturing process nodes bring, RTL sign-off activities become a process that demands a more comprehensive approach. “There is a fundamental shift going on in chip design in general in that there is a bigger focus on so-called system on chip (SoC) desig... » read more

System-Aware SoC Power, Noise And Reliability Sign-off


In globally competitive markets for mobile, consumer and automotive electronic systems, the critical success factors are power consumption, performance and reliability. To manage these conflicting requirements, design teams consider multiple options, including the use of advanced process technology nodes — especially FinFET-based devices. These advanced technology nodes allow chips to operate... » read more

FinFET-Based Designs: Package Model Considerations


The use of FinFET devices in next-generation high-performance, low-power designs is a fundamental shift that is happening in the semiconductor industry. These devices through their smaller sizes, tighter Vth control and higher drive strengths enable higher performance and increased integration while reducing overall energy consumption. But along with their advantages these devices introduce and... » read more

What’s Wrong With Power Signoff


Reducing power has emerged as the most pressing issue in the history of technology. On one hand, it’s the biggest opportunity the electronics industry has ever seen. On the other, the abuse of cheap power has been linked to global warming, human catastrophe, and geopolitical strife. In all cases, the semiconductor increasingly finds itself at the vortex of all of this, and making chips more e... » read more

The Week In Review: Design


Tools Mentor Graphics rolled out embedded Linux software for AMD’s x86 G-series SoCs, code-named Steppe Eagle and its Crowned Eagle CPUs. Ansys-Apache and TowerJazz have created a power noise and reliability signoff design kit, including reference flow guidelines, test case examples and flow setup guidance. Synopsys updated its verification portfolio with static and formal tools for CD... » read more

Big Memory Shift Ahead


System architecture has been driven by the performance of [getkc id="22" kc_name="memory"]. Processor designers would have liked all of the memory be fast [getkc id="92" kc_name="SRAM"], placed on-chip for maximum performance, but that was not an option. Memory had to be fabricated as separate chips and connected via a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). That limited the number of available I/O ports ... » read more

Blog Review: May 14


Ansys’ Bill Vandermark highlights the top five engineering articles of the week. Of particular note is element No. 117, a new entry in the periodic table. The temporary name is ununseptium, which means…well, surprise…117. Cadence’s Brian Fuller follows a panel discussion about the biggest potential roadblock for the IoT’s success—privacy and security. You’ve been warned. Syn... » read more

What’s Wrong With Power Signoff


Power signoff used to be a checklist item before a design went to tapeout. But as power has become a critical factor in designs, particularly at advanced nodes, signing off on power now needs to be done at multiple points throughout the design flow. That alone adds even greater complexity to already complex design processes because it requires fixed reference points and scenarios for taking mea... » read more

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