Leveraging Processor Extensibility To Build An Ultra Low-Power Embedded Subsystem


There is increasing demand for electronic devices to execute more functions while consuming less power and silicon area. To achieve this, systems instantiating multiple, heterogeneous processor cores optimized for low power and high performance are gaining popularity among design teams. In these systems, one or more deeply embedded processors execute a limited set of dedicated applications. The... » read more

The Power-Performance Paradox


The Changing World Technology is shaping and altering the world around us. Reality is being augmented and “virtual reality” is becoming the norm. Video is becoming more immersive, offering 3D effects and 4K resolution, with 8K on the horizon. Cars are a technology showcase that in a few years conceivably will take over the driving for us. Our ability to interact with technology through tou... » read more

Are Processors Running Out Of Steam?


In 2004, Intel introduced a new line of Pentium chips that ran at 3.6GHz. Fast forward to today, and the company’s i7 processors run at 3.5GHz with a Turbo Boost to 3.9GHz. There have been many improvements in the meantime. There is more cache and dramatically faster access to data stored in that cache. And there are more cores with improved coherency between them. But the big problem is p... » read more

The Week In Review: System-Level Design


Cadence bought TranSwitch’s high-speed interface IP assets. TranSwitch, which made chips for communications equipment, filed for bankruptcy in November. (The company’s Web site is no longer active.) Cadence also won a deal with Microsoft, which will use Tensilica processors in the new Xbox One audio subsystem. And Cadence rolled out HiFi Audio Tunneling for Android, which takes advantage of... » read more

Performance Still Trumps Power


When it comes to technology, the past was always simpler than the present and the future looks daunting. In part, this is because finding a solution to a problem allows us to discover the next problem. Over time, the previous problem becomes more understood and solutions improve to the point where it is no longer considered a problem. It was a fairly easy choice about how to implement functiona... » read more

Synopsys ARC HS Processors: High-Speed Licensable CPU Cores for Embedded Applications


Synopsys is a leading EDA company with an extensive portfolio of licensable DesignWare intellectual property (IP). The portfolio includes interface IP, analog IP, embedded memories, and logic libraries. Although most chip designers know that DesignWare IP also includes licensable CPU cores and subsystems, many are surprised to learn that Synopsys is second only to ARM in the number of chips tha... » read more

Atoms, ARMs, ARCs, Andes…And All The Rest


There was a time when nobody believed Intel processors would be replaced with any other device. Intel commanded the processor market. Rich Wawrzyniak, senior analyst for ASIC SoC at Semico Research, noted this was not always the case. In the early days of the PC there were many contenders and most people thought that Motorola would win because they had more money behind them. Ultimately, Intel ... » read more

The Week In Review: Aug. 16


By Ed Sperling Manufacturing Equipment giant Applied Materials added three extra letters company president Gary Dickerson’s title—CEO. Mike Splinter, who has served as the company’s CEO since 2003, will become executive chairman of the board of directors. Dickerson was the CEO of Varian, which Applied Materials acquired in 2011. Synopsys introduced a Dolby decoder for its ARC process... » read more

Experts At The Table: SoC Prototyping


By Ann Steffora Mutschler System-Level Design sat down to discuss SoC prototyping with Hillel Miller, pre-silicon verification/emulation manager at Freescale Semiconductor; Frank Schirrmeister, group director, product marketing, system development suite at Cadence; and Mick Posner, director of product marketing at Synopsys. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. SLD: Is it possib... » read more

A Different Kind Of Design


Intel’s announcements at the Intel Developer Forum this week that it will be creating physically smaller packages that can run on far less energy raises some interesting questions about the future of all design. We’ve become accustomed to one-chip implementations, whether that’s a monolithic processor or an SoC with lots of processors. In the future, though, there may be multiple chips, a... » read more

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