Performance-IP: Less Memory Latency


The combination of more functionality on chips plus more contention for memories is forcing companies to look at different ways to improve performance. Just adding more processing power doesn't guarantee improved performance, and throwing more memory at a problem—either SRAM or multiple levels of cache—is expensive and not always faster. There are too many processors and too many request... » read more

SEMI Members Mobilize For 2017 SEMI Washington Forum


SEMI hosted 24 industry executives in Washington, DC on March 28 & 29 to take part in the annual SEMI Washington Forum. The Washington Forum, which is supported by SEMI’s North American Advisory Board (NAAB), gives SEMI member company executives a chance to come to the Nation’s capital for a firsthand experience in engaging policymakers on the issues that are pertinent to the industry. ... » read more

Playing With Chip Volumes


The overall market for semiconductors continues to grow, but the number of applications that will generate enormous volumes continues to shrink. In theory, this is good for the overall semiconductor industry, but it raises important questions about where R&D dollars will go in the future. The fundamental problem is that the semiconductor business is a volume business for one or two markets. ... » read more

Intel To Buy Mobileye


Intel today said it would acquire embedded vision leader Mobileye for roughly $15.3 billion in equity—$14.7 billion in "enterprise value"—setting the stage for a huge push by the chipmaker into the autonomous driving market. Intel has been dabbling in the automotive market for some time, starting with an unsuccessful bid to replace 8-bit microcontrollers with low-end processors. With the... » read more

Tech Talk: Ethernet


George Hervey, principal architect at Marvell, talks about the power efficiency of networking in the enterprise and how much money can be saved by rightsizing Ethernet equipment. [youtube vid=PxDR94UOFaM]     Related Stories Executive Insight: Sehat Sutardja Marvell’s CEO talks about the rising cost of design and why new packaging approaches are essential. » read more

What Next For OSATs


Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss IC-packaging and business trends with Tien Wu, chief operating officer at Taiwan’s Advanced Semiconductor Engineering ([getentity id="22930" comment="ASE"]), the world’s largest outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) vendor. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. SE: What’s the outlook for the IC industry in 2017? Wu:... » read more

AI Storm Brewing


AI is coming. Now what? The answer isn't clear, because after decades of research and development, AI is finally starting to become a force to reckon with. The proof is in the M&A activity underway right now. Big companies are willing to pay huge sums to get out in front of this shift. Here is a list of just some of the AI acquisitions announced or completed over the past few years: ... » read more

What Does AI Really Mean?


Seth Neiman, chairman of eSilicon, founder of Brocade Communications, and a board member and investor in a number of startups, sat down with Semiconductor Engineering to talk about advances in AI, what's changing, and how it ultimately could change our lives. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. SE: How far has AI progressed? Neiman: We’ve been working with AI since the mid 1... » read more

The Return Of Time Sharing


As early as the 1960s, it wasn't uncommon to hear that transistors would be free. Those were pretty bold statements at the time, considering most computers in those days cost $1 million, required special rooms, and budding computer scientists usually had to sign up to use mainframe computers for one-hour time slots—often in the middle of the night or on weekends. Still, those predictions ... » read more

Fix Processes, Then Silos


Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, was a big proponent of what he called a "boundaryless corporation." It was a good sound bite, but it pales in comparison to former Intel CEO Andy Grove's philosophy of working out of a cubicle, just like the rest of his staff. While it's great to have corporate buy-in for breaking down silos, which are vertically integrated, the real problem for semiconductor c... » read more

← Older posts Newer posts →