Different Requirements For Hyperscale Computing Across Vertical Application Domains


As mentioned in previous posts, one of the key conversations I have with customers a lot these days is how to deal with the balance of storage, compute and connectivity as we enter the era of hyperscale computing. While there are overarching challenges that are “of similar class” across the vertical application domains—consumer, hyperscale computing, mobile, networking, aerospace/defense,... » read more

GDDR6 Memory For Life On The Edge


With the torrid growth in data traffic, it is unsurprising that the number of hyperscale data centers has grown apace. According to analysts at the Synergy Research Group, in July of this year there were 541 hyperscale data centers worldwide. That represents a doubling in the number since 2015. Even more striking, there are an additional 176 in the pipeline, so the breakneck growth in hyperscal... » read more

Hyperscale And Edge Computing: The What, Where And How


We hear a lot about “edge computing” these days. We are approaching an era in which unfathomable amounts of data are created, which need to be transmitted, stored, processed and made sense of. As we are witnessing never-before-seen scaling in all those domains, the term “hyperscale” computing has been invented. But what about the edge? As it turns out, the definition seems to have chang... » read more

PCIe 5.0: A Key Interface Solution For The Evolving Data Center


A great many developments are shaping the evolution of the data center. Enterprise workloads are increasingly shifting to the cloud, whether these be hosted or colocation implementations. The nature of workload traffic is changing such that data centers are architected to manage greater east-west (within the data center) communication. New workloads, with AI/ML (artificial intelligence/machine ... » read more

The Four Pillars Of Hyperscale Computing


In his keynote at CadenceLIVE Americas 2020, Facebook’s Vijay Rao, director, Technology and Strategy, described the four core elements the team considers when designing their data centers—compute, storage, memory, and networking. Wait a minute. Facebook? How did we get here? Wasn’t EDA supposed to be focused on chip design? As indicated in a previous blog, electronic value chains are defi... » read more

Semiconductors And The Climate Curve


On July 22 I participated in a panel at the virtual SEMICON West conference called “Bending the Climate Curve: Enabling Sustainable Growth of Big Data, AI, and Cloud Computing.” Virtual conferences are mandatory these days, but give a different experience than physical ones. They are very good at disseminating information and are reasonably effective at networking. But, in my experience... » read more

Fleet Management Of Data Center Electronics


Data has become the most valuable resource of our time, with processing, storage and networking being the key assets of the modern digital world. This has fueled a two-decade spread of massive data centers around the globe and a surge in the cloud services they offer people, corporations, and countries alike. New services like video, game streaming, AI and social media push the need for data... » read more

Big Changes In AI Design


Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss AI and its move to the edge with Steven Woo, vice president of enterprise solutions technology and distinguished inventor at Rambus; Kris Ardis, executive director at Maxim Integrated; Steve Roddy, vice president of Arm's Products Learning Group; and Vinay Mehta, inference technical marketing manager at Flex Logix. What follows are excerpts of that ... » read more

Startup Funding: July 2020


A number of semiconductor and design companies took in funding this month, from a mega round for a data center switch maker to seed grants for two Canadian companies and new funding for an IP marketplace. China continues to be a hot area for electric vehicles, with one company raising half a billion for its two models currently in production. For July, we highlight fifteen startups that raised ... » read more

Hyperscale And Artificial Intelligence Are Reshaping Value Chains


Observing electronic ecosystems and value chains change over time is fascinating. For instance, the design chain for mobile devices fundamentally changed over the past two decades with waves of disaggregation and aggregation. Today, the area of computing and data centers is amid tectonic shifts and transformation, with the combination of hyperscale, networking, artificial intelligence (AI), and... » read more

← Older posts Newer posts →