New Architectures, Much Faster Chips


The chip industry is making progress in multiple physical dimensions and with multiple architectural approaches, setting the stage for huge performance increases based on more modular and heterogeneous designs, new advanced packaging options, and continued scaling of digital logic for at least a couple more process nodes. A number of these changes have been discussed in recent conferences. I... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Tools & IP Monozukuri unveiled its IC/Package co-design tool, GENIO. GENIO integrates existing silicon and package EDA flows to create full co-design and I/O optimization of complex multi-chip designs.  It works seamlessly across all existing EDA flows and comprises floor planning, I/O planning and end-to-end interconnect planning combined with cross-hierarchical pathfinding optimization.... » read more

Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


Pervasive computing — data center, edge, IoT Marvell is working on silicon for the data infrastructure market using TSMC’s 5nm process node. Marvell says it has multiple designs already under contract for its 5nm portfolio across the carrier, enterprise, automotive, and data center markets. The first products are sampling by the end of next year.  Ansys’ multiphysics signoff tools, R... » read more

Wireless Power Market Heats Up


The wireless power market is in flux as established technologies meet newer approaches. Old standards battles have simmered somewhat, but competing messages remain. What the public ends up using will depend heavily on public charging infrastructure, but the stakes are significant. The market for battery chargers is forecast to reach $25B by 2022. Most of those chargers plug into the wall, bu... » read more

Blog Review: Aug. 26


Cadence's Paul McLellan shares some highlights from Hot Chips, including the massive growth in deep learning models, the basics of designing neural network models, and challenges involved in different approaches. Mentor's Colin Walls explores memory management units, its job of translating an address used by the CPU to an alternative address, and why this remapping is desirable and useful. ... » read more

Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


Pervasive computing — data center, edge, IoT SEMI formed a new standards committee to develop global standards for flexible hybrid electronics (FHE). The SEMI Standards Flexible Hybrid Electronics Global Technical Committee will develop FHE standards for design, materials, manufacturing, packaging and systems and to drive industry growth. IPC is also working on FHE standards as an industry s... » read more

Monitoring Chips After Manufacturing


New regulations and variability of advanced process nodes are forcing chip designers to insert additional capabilities in silicon to help with comprehension, debug, analytics, safety, security, and design optimization. The impact of this will be far-reaching as the industry discusses what capabilities can be shared between these divergent tasks, the amount of silicon area to dedicate to it, ... » read more

Blog Review: Aug. 19


Rambus' Scott Best digs into some of the most sophisticated attacks used to target and compromise security chips, such as laser voltage probing, focused ion beam editing, reverse engineering, and NVM extraction, and ways to counter them. Synopsys' Chris Clark proposes a way to identify problems earlier and better ensure safety and reliability in automotive SoCs by moving from a linear develo... » read more

Redefining The Power Delivery Network


Reliably getting power around a package containing multiple dies, potentially coming from multiple sources, or implemented in diverse technologies, is becoming much more difficult. The tools and needed to do this in an optimized manner are not all there today. Nevertheless, the industry is confident that we can get there. For a single die, the problem has evolved slowly over time. "For a ... » read more

Preparing For A Barrage Of Physical Effects


Advancements in 3D transistors and packaging continue to enable better power and performance in a given footprint, but they also require more attention to physical effects stemming from both increased density and vertical stacking. Even in planar chips developed at 3nm, it will be more difficult to build both thin and thick oxide devices, which will have an impact on everything from power to... » read more

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