Chip Industry Week In Review


ASML and imec signed a five-year strategic partnership to advance semiconductor innovation and sustainable technology. The collaboration will leverage ASML’s full product portfolio, including high-NA EUV, DUV immersion, and advanced metrology tools, within imec’s pilot line for sub-2nm R&D. Supported by EU and national funding, it will also drive research in silicon photonics, memory, a... » read more

Static Timing Analysis: Cell Delay Vs. Cell Drive Strength


Have you ever wondered how a predator succeeds or its prey escapes in the jungle? It’s the breathtaking speed and agility of the predator (say, a leopard) as it chases prey (say, a deer). The VLSI circuit operation is very similar. If the driving cell is strong, it takes less delay and changes the output quicker than a weaker driver, which produces a sluggish response and takes longer t... » read more

3D-IC For The Masses


The concepts of 3D-IC and chiplets have the whole industry excited. It potentially marks the next stage in the evolution of the IP industry, but so far, technical difficulties and cost have curtailed its usage to just a handful of companies. Even within those, they do not appear to be seeing benefits from heterogeneous integration or reuse. Attempts to make this happen are not new. "A decade... » read more

Chiplets Add New Power Issues


Delivering and managing power are becoming key challenges in the rollout of chiplets, adding significantly to design complexity and forcing chipmakers to weigh tradeoffs that can have a big impact on the performance, reliability, and the overall cost of semiconductors. Power is a concern for every chip and chiplet design, even if the specifics differ based on the application. Systems vendors... » read more

Application Of External CFD Modeling In Data Center Design


Rising IT densities and AI workloads demand smarter heat management and equipment placement. This paper "Application of External CFD Modeling in Data Center Design" explores how external computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling provides crucial insights by resolving airflow patterns around buildings. Why Choose External CFD Modeling? Recommended by The Green Grid, it helps predict: ... » read more

Blog Review: Mar. 12


Cadence's P. Saisrinivas explains the relationship between drive strength and cell delay and why it is key to choose the appropriate drive strength to meet timing constraints while minimizing power and area. Siemens' Daniel Berger and Dirk Hartmann tackle the readout problem of accurately measuring the state of a quantum system after it has undergone a quantum computation, which becomes incr... » read more

Pioneering The Cosmos With Physical AI: Robots Are Humanity’s Key Partners


The stars have always fascinated us, sparking dreams of exploration and discovery. But now, as humanity steps further into the cosmos, a new hero takes center stage—physical AI. Robots, autonomous vehicles, and drones are transforming our ability to explore and settle other worlds, from navigating the alien terrain of Mars to constructing future bases on the Moon. These cutting-edge... » read more

Seamless ECAD and MCAD Collaboration


Integrating electronic computer-aided design (ECAD) and mechanical computer-aided design (MCAD) systems is critical for achieving efficient and accurate design outcomes in the rapidly evolving landscape of product design. This article explores the prevalent challenges designers and engineers face in ECAD-MCAD integration and how these challenges can be effectively addressed through integrating ... » read more

Wearable Connectivity, AI Enable New Use Cases


The sensing and processing technology used in smart phones, watches, and rings is starting to be being deployed in a wide variety of wearable devices, ranging from those that fill the gap between sports and med tech, to haptic devices to assist the visually impaired and AR/VR glasses. Emerging applications include payment, building, and factory wearables. Most of these devices process signal... » read more

Automakers Grapple With Fundamental Tech Changes


Automotive OEMs are wrestling with a stack of changes that affect every part of their business and technology, from threats of tariffs and shifting geopolitical alliances, to new vehicle architectures, tighter market windows, and a fundamental reordering of relationships and priorities between OEMs and their suppliers. There is no consistency to these developments or a best path to solving t... » read more

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