Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


Automotive, mobility An engine-sensor malfunction in three popular Japanese-versions of the Subaru models has forced the company to suspend production temporarily in Japan, according to Reuters. The sensor in the CB18 engine, found in Japan’s Forester, Outback, and Levor cars, stops the engine from starting and flashes a warning light. In North America, Subaru is adding a wide-angle mono cam... » read more

Always-On, Ultra-Low-Power Design Gains Traction


A surge of electronic devices powered by batteries, combined with ever-increasing demand for more features, intelligence, and performance, is putting a premium on chip designs that require much lower power. This is especially true for always-on circuits, which are being added into AR/VR, automotive applications with over-the-air updates, security cameras, drones, and robotics. Also known as ... » read more

Driving Toward A Sustainable Future


While the automotive industry has been focused on developing innovative electric vehicle (EV) designs for years, there is a new sense of urgency today. Worldwide sales of EVs are increasing quickly1, growing by 46% in 2020 and by 160% in the first half of 2021. Consumer demand is an important factor, but equally important are government mandates. In 2021, the European Union introduced strict... » read more

Blog Review: April 13


Synopsys' Scott Durrant, Priyank Shukla, Mitch Heins, and Jigesh Patel provide a brief overview of the history of copper and optical interconnects used in data centers, the limitations of existing interconnect solutions, and the future of co-packaged optics. Siemens' Trey Reeser finds that it's not only necessary for semiconductor companies to address the safety and security of products for ... » read more

Battery Management Getting Competitive For EVs


The success or failure of future electric vehicles will depend on where and how those cars are used, as well as significant advances in battery materials, energy density, and some very complex battery management systems. Battery power needs to be balanced, stored for extended times, and delivered to wherever it is needed most in real time. This is a huge challenge, and nearly everything in a... » read more

Blog Review: April 6


Synopsys' Ron Lowman considers the increase in specialized AI IP in SoCs, including the different aspects within AI classifications, markets that are driving its growth, key SoC design challenges, and nurturing SoC designs beyond integration. Siemens' Joe Hupcey III finds that the only way to be completely sure that RISC-V RTL is free of any natural or malicious surprises is to apply exhaust... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


The U.S. Senate approved the 2022 America COMPETES act, which has big ramifications for the chip industry. The bill now heads to the House for further reconciliation. If approved, it would provide more than $50 billion in U.S. subsidies for semiconductor chip manufacturing. The SIAC (Semiconductor In America Coalition) urged Congress to act promptly to achieve a bipartisan compromise soon and o... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Tools Synopsys introduced a new model for using its EDA tools on the cloud. Synopsys Cloud provides pay-as-you-go access to the company's cloud-optimized design and verification products, with pre-optimized infrastructure on Microsoft Azure to address higher levels of interdependencies in chip development. "As more design flows incorporate AI, requiring even more resources, the virtually unlim... » read more

Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


Automotive Verizon and Cisco demonstrated a C-V2X network for autonomous driving in Las Vegas that avoids using costly physical roadside units to extend radio signals. Instead, Verizon and Cisco say their test proved that Verizon’s LTE network and public 5G Edge with AWS Wavelength, together with Cisco Catalyst IR1101 routers in connected infrastructure, were adequate to meet the latency nee... » read more

Clocks Getting Skewed Up


At a logical level, synchronous designs are very simple and the clock just happens. But the clocking network is possibly the most complex in a chip, and it's fraught with the most problems at the physical level. To some, the clock is the AC power supply of the chip. To others, it is an analog network almost beyond analysis. Ironically, there are no languages to describe clocking, few tools t... » read more

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