Noise: A Chip Killer


Noise has always been important to communications experts, but it's quickly becoming an issue that every semiconductor designer has to contend with. Some chips already have been compromised. Noise can be defined as any deviation from the ideal that can impact intended functionality. When it comes to semiconductors, that could mean the ability to reliably extract a signal value at the intende... » read more

Multiple AI Scale-Up Options Emerge


Artificial intelligence (AI) workloads are very different from those traditionally run inside of data centers, and while the current infrastructure can accommodate those needs, there is a constant demand for higher performance and better power efficiency. It can take months to train a large language model, even with a huge number of processing elements. Typically this involves commandeering ... » read more

PCIe Low-Power Validation Challenges And Potential Solutions


As chip complexities increase and the industry evolves to more battery-powered devices, power-aware/consumption research becomes an integral part of design in the industry. Low power is crucial in ASIC applications to ensure longevity, durability, and reliability. PCI-SIG has focused on reducing power consumption while the PCIe interface is active to enable better platform power management (... » read more

A Guide To Accelerating Your Design Timeline With Electromagnetic Analysis


Today’s high-speed PCB and system-level design demands fast, accurate simulation. This ebook explains how to choose the right electromagnetic (EM) solver—from 2D and hybrid methods to full 3D FEM—for every stage of the design process. Inside, you’ll learn: When to use 2D, 3D planar (hybrid), or full-wave 3D solvers How the cloud-native parallelized Cadence Clarity 3D Tran... » read more

LLMs Add Safety Risks To Physical AI


Humanoid robots with artificial general intelligence are some years from entering our daily life, but application-specific robotics are already here. From Amazon’s fleet of fulfillment center robots to robotic surgical systems in operating rooms, search and rescue robo-dogs, autonomous drones, and last-mile delivery robots, all the way down to the humble Roomba vacuum cleaner, physical AI sys... » read more

Moving AI Workloads To The Edge


Experts At The Table: Semiconductor Engineering gathered a group of experts to discuss how some AI workloads are better suited for on-device processing to achieve consistent performance, avoid network connectivity issues, reduce cloud computing costs, and ensure privacy. The panel included Frank Ferro, group director in the Silicon Solutions Group at Cadence; Eduardo Montanez, vice president an... » read more

Innovation In Data Center Design And Operations


As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance, data centers are evolving into dynamic command hubs designed to handle the massive data throughput and processing power required for advanced AI applications. These facilities are no longer just storage units; they are transforming into intelligent, self-optimizing "AI factories" that redefine efficiency and capability. Recently, we had the ... » read more

Formal Verification’s Value Grows


Experts at the table: Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss why formal verification is becoming more important, with Ashish Darbari, CEO for Axiomise; Jin Zhang, product management group director for the Verification Group at Cadence; Sean Safarpour, executive director for R&D at Synopsys; and Jeremy Levitt, principal engineer for Digital Verification Technology at Siemens EDA. Wha... » read more

Blog Review: Nov. 5


Synopsys' Igor Markov points out how numerical simulation tools advance quantum computing R&D by capturing both quantum-mechanical behavior and classical electromagnetic effects so researchers can evaluate design alternatives before fabrication and gain insight into how devices operate under realistic conditions. Siemens' Stephen V. Chavez finds that impedance modeling and control are mi... » read more

LPDDR6: Not Just For Mobile Anymore


LPDDR memory has been almost synonymous with mobile devices, but starting with the new LPDDR6 specification released in July 2025 by JEDEC, it will begin showing up inside of data centers, as well, early next year. The key factors in various flavors of DRAM are bandwidth, capacity, and cost. HBM is the fastest, but it's also expensive, and it requires a 2.5D or 3.5D packaging approach. GDDR is ... » read more

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