Challenges For A Post-Moore’s Law World


Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss challenges at the edge, the impact of open-source, and how to attract new talent, with Simon Segars, CEO of Arm; Joseph Sawicki, executive vice president of IC EDA at Mentor, a Siemens Business; Raik Brinkmann, CEO of OneSpin Solutions; Babak Taheri, CEO of Silvaco; John Kibarian, CEO of PDF Solutions; and Prakash Narain, CEO of Real Intent. The con... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Semicon recap The virtual version of Semicon West took place this week. Virtual events have their places. It’s no substitute for an in-person event. Nonetheless, the virtual version of Semicon West is still a place to get an update on the latest equipment, test and packaging technologies. It is also interesting to visit the virtual booths. It’s a fast way to meet people. I chatted with ... » read more

Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


GPU maker Nvidia may be interested in a purchasing Arm, Bloomberg reports, if current owner Softbank, the Japanese investment group run by billionaire Masayoshi Son, is even selling the company. Softbank may have approached Apple to gauge interest, but Apple reportedly said no. The British-based Arm’s instruction set architecture IP dominates the mobile market, especially with Apple is switch... » read more

Semicon West Day One/Two


For years, the semiconductor and equipment industry has congregated at the annual Semicon West trade show in San Francisco. It’s an event to get an update on the latest equipment, test and packaging technologies. It’s also a good way to meet with people who you haven’t seen in a year, if not longer. It’s a great way to get a pulse on the industry. Needless to say, Semicon is a vir... » read more

Blog Review: July 22


In a video, Synopsys Chairman and co-CEO Aart de Geus discusses AI's computational wants, how 3DIC technology can infuse vitality into Moore’s Law and drive innovation for the semiconductor industry. Cadence's Paul McLellan looks back at the initial rise of digital cameras, the swift decline of the point-and-shoot as smartphones took over, and the development of increasingly complex CMOS i... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Siemens will acquire Avatar Integrated Systems. The company's place-and-route tools, which will become part of Mentor's Xcelerator portfolio, include a netlist-to-GDS full-function block-level physical implementation tool and a complete top-level prototyping, floor-planning and chip assembly tool. Based in Santa Clara, CA, Avatar was formed in 2017 from the acquired assets of ATopTech. ATopTech... » read more

Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


Arm's parent company, Japanese tech conglomerate Softbank, reportedly is considering a sale or IPO of its Arm subsidiary, which it purchased in 2016 for $32 billion in cash. Considering that Arm chips are in most smart phones, as well as an increasing number of computers and IoT and edge devices, this development is being closely followed by most of the tech world. Last week, Softbank directed ... » read more

Smaller Nodes, Much Bigger Problems


João Geada, chief technologist at Ansys, sat down with Semiconductor Engineering to talk about device scaling, advanced packaging, increasing complexity and the growing role of AI. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. SE: We've been pushing along Moore's Law for roughly a half-century. What sorts of problems are you seeing now that you didn't see a couple nodes ago? Geada: The... » read more

Blog Review: July 15


Synopsys' Mike Borza explains DARPA's Automatic Implementation of Secure Silicon (AISS) program and why prioritizing security in the chip development and manufacturing process is so important. Mentor's Jacob Wiltgen checks out how accurate early cycle safety analysis, aided by automation, can help avoid the problem of unmet safety goals and expensive later cycle iterations. Cadence's Paul... » read more

Maximizing Value Post-Moore’s Law


When Moore's Law was in full swing, almost every market segment considered moving to the next available node as a primary way to maximize value. But today, each major market segment is looking at different strategies that are more closely aligned with its individual needs. This diversity will end up causing both pain and opportunities in the supply chain. Chip developers must do more with a ... » read more

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