The Week In Review: Design/IoT


Know someone who deserves the Phil Kaufman Award for Distinguished Contributions to EDA? Nominations are open until June 30th. Tools, IP & Chips ARM debuted the Cortex-R8 processor, targeting mass storage devices and future 5G modems with a quad-core configuration and extended low-latency memory. Cadence's schematic design tool, OrCAD Capture, added the capability to export hierarc... » read more

Reaching For ROI


The simplest way to assess power and performance ROI of a chip design is to ask if the chip works and whether it meets the design specifications. But chips can be used in very different ways, and a single chip may have a number of operational modes, so that formula isn't so clear anymore. "Preventing failures is the No. 1 priority when it comes to ROI," said Aveek Sarkar, vice president of p... » read more

Blog Review: Feb. 17


While there have been successes for 3D-IC, the technology has stalled trying to move into the mainstream market, says Mentor's Michael White. So what has kept it from crossing the chasm? Synopsys' Robert Vamosi takes a look at the US government's latest efforts towards improving cybersecurity. Cadence's Paul McLellan discusses the importance of software-driven hardware verification and th... » read more

Debug Becomes A Bigger Problem


The EDA industry has invested enormous amounts of time and energy on the verification process, including new languages, new tools, new class libraries, new methodologies. But the one part of the cycle that defines that type of automation is debug. Development teams are spending half of their time in the debug process and the problem is growing. Part of the reason is that design and debug are... » read more

Adventures In Assembly


With so few [getkc id="81" kc_name="SoC"] designs — if any — today designed completely new from the ground up, the assembly task is an extremely important one to get right. [getkc id="43" kc_name="IP"] components must be put together optimally and efficiently to perfectly match the application requirements, which is complex and intricately nuanced. How companies approach IP varies signif... » read more

Thermal Damage To Chips Widens


Heat is becoming a much bigger problem for semiconductor and system design, fueled by higher density and the increasing use of complex chips in markets such as automotive, where reliability is measured in decade-long increments. In the past, heat typically was handled by mechanical engineers, who figured out where to put heat sinks, fans, or holes to funnel heat out of a chassis. But as more... » read more

Powerful New Standard


In December the IEEE released the latest version of the 1801 specification, entitled the IEEE standard for design and verification of low-power integrated circuits. Most people know it as UPF, or the Unified Power Format. That was the name the first version of it held while being developed within Accellera. The standard provides a way to specify the power intent associated with a design, enabli... » read more

Blog Review: Feb. 10


You could be flying on a hybrid plane that uses hydrogen fuel cells in the future, and might even be able to hear the loudspeaker announcements while waiting for the flight, in this week's top tech picks from Ansys' Justin Nescott. Plus, smart soccer balls. Thermal is the new power, argues Cadence's Paul McLellan, and when it comes to SoCs treating thermal analysis as an afterthought is no l... » read more

The Week In Review: Design/IoT


Events DAC is now accepting nominations for the Marie R. Pistilli Women in EDA Achievement Award, which recognizes individuals who have visibly helped to advance the profile of women in the EDA industry. Nominations must be received by March 3rd. Tools Cadence unveiled its new Modus Test Solution, which the company says enables design engineers to achieve an up to 3X reduction in test ... » read more

Designing SoCs For Hybrids


Hybrid vehicle sales are growing, driven by a global concern for lower vehicle emissions and consumer demand for better economy. This has set off a rush by semiconductor companies to provide key components for those vehicles because they are much more reliant on electronics than regular gasoline-powered vehicles. But the changeover is not as straightforward as it might sound. Hybrid vehicles... » read more

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