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

Blog Review: March 30


Ansys' Shawn Carpenter takes a look at the continuing impact of potential interference with aircraft's radar altimeters on the roll out of the 5G C-band and the testing that will be needed to enable 5G C-band service towers to begin operating near airports by July. Siemens' Harry Foster points to an increase in the number of engineers working on automotive ASIC projects and the growing compl... » read more

The Foundations Of Computational Electromagnetics


Maxwell’s Equations can be expressed in multiple variants – there are integral and differential versions in both frequency and time domains, along with quasi-static and full-wave forms. Their elegance is evident upon sight yet for only the simplest systems are there known solutions. Thus, without assumptions to simplify the math and/or system under study, it is frequently impossible to full... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Design services firm SemiFive acquired Analog Bits, a provider of low-power mixed-signal IP. Analog Bits' portfolio includes precision clocking macros, I/Os, SerDes, and sensors to monitor PVT. It was founded in 1995 and based in Sunnyvale, California. “Analog Bits has a solid track record of developing and delivering differentiated and high-quality mixed signal IP addressing multiple market ... » read more

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