Structured Grids Are Here For An Eternity


With unstructured meshes delivering promising results in resolving boundary layers, wakes, and other flow features for complex geometries, one might arrive at the conclusion that structured grids will soon be out of the markets because of their reputation for taking a long time for generation. On the contrary, structured grids give you two things that unstructured meshes may lack, i.e., quality... » read more

Design For Security Now Essential For Chips, Systems


It's nearly impossible to create a completely secure chip or system, but much can be done to raise the level of confidence about that security. In the past, security was something of an afterthought, disconnected from the architecture and added late in the design cycle. But as chips are used increasingly in safety- and mission-critical systems, and as the value of data continues to rise, the... » read more

In-Design Thermal Analysis For MMIC And RF PCB Power Applications


Next-generation wireless communication and radar systems often demand increased RF power within a smaller footprint to meet the performance and size requirements of their respective commercial and aerospace applications. As a result, RF front-end electronics are exposed to the risk of higher operating temperatures, which degrade RF performance and threaten device reliability. For many device ma... » read more

L5 Adoption Hinges on 5G/6G


Truly self-driving cars don’t yet exist, and research shows many consumers are wary of them anyway. What will it take to make fully autonomous cars possible? And how can automakers convince consumers to adopt such vehicles? Experts say the answer to both questions could lie in wireless communication networks. That’s because such networks offer a workaround to a major obstacle in autonomo... » read more

Blog Review: Aug. 31


Cadence's Paul McLellan wonders what's happened to 450mm wafers as equipment development efforts end, the only wafer fab is decommissioned, and manufacturers see little likelihood to recoup further investment in R&D. Synopsys' Manuel Mota finds that the scale and modular flexibility of chiplets can help meet narrowing time-to-market windows and looks at how UCIe provides a complete stack... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Regional Shifts Supply chains are moving away from China. Apple, Honda, and Mazda are in line to diversify their manufacturing across different regions, according to one report. Another report says Apple plans to manufacture some of its new iPhone 14s in India. Mexico wants to be part of U.S.’s drive to move chip manufacturing closer to home, hosting American financiers to discuss elect... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Quantum computing Baidu introduced a 10-qubit quantum computer called Qianshi and what it described as “the world's first all-platform quantum hardware-software integration solution that provides access to various quantum chips via mobile app, PC, and cloud.” The company said it has also completed the design of a 36-qubit quantum chip. Scientists said “levitating” nanoparticles co... » read more

Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


Automotive, mobility California will ban the sale of new gasoline vehicles so that by 2035 100% of new cars and light trucks sold in California will be zero-emission vehicles. NXP Semiconductors announced multi-year supply agreements for its S32 family. Agreements to supply the S32 domain and zonal automotive processors to OEMs will include upcoming 5nm ASIL-D processors. Keysight Techno... » read more

The Next Incarnation Of EDA


The EDA industry has incrementally addressed issues as they arise in the design of electronic systems, but is there about to be a disruption? Academia is certainly seeing that as a possibility, but not all of them see it happening for the same reason. The academic community questioned the future of EDA at the recent Design Automation Conference. Rather than EDA as we know it going away, they... » read more

Chasing The Next Level Of Productivity


The keynotes at the recent Design Automation Conference (DAC) gave some great insights into the direction of semiconductor technology and chip and system design. For the first time in a long time, my family members and friends have gained awareness of the importance of semiconductors and electronic design automation. I think this means it is also time to look back on where productivity improvem... » read more

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