Big Memory Shift Ahead

By Brian Bailey - 22 May, 2014 - Comments: 1

System architecture has been driven by the performance of [getkc id="22" kc_name="memory"]. Processor designers would have liked all of the memory be fast [getkc id="92" kc_name="SRAM"], placed on-chip for maximum performance, but that was not an option. Memory had to be fabricated as separate chips and connected via a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). That limited the number of available I/O ports ... » read more

IP To Meet 2.5D Requirements

By Ann Mutschler - 08 May, 2014 - Comments: 1

The semiconductor industry is still in the early stages of evolution in the realm of 2.5D, but when these devices do come out, the IP used on them will have to be brand new, according to Javier DeLaCruz, senior director of engineering at eSilicon. “The IP causes the biggest risk that you’re going to have in this implementation,” he said. “Everything else in here for making those ASIC... » read more

Powerful Memories

By Brian Bailey - 07 May, 2014 - Comments: 1

Memory consumes more of the surface area of a die than any other component. So what changes have happened over the past few years to reduce the power consumption of memories, and where are the big opportunities for saving power? Let's take a closer look. A Growing Concern One of the key drivers for SoCs is the desire to reduce product costs, reduce form factors, reduce power, increase perfo... » read more

Efficiency Metrics Get Fuzzy

By Ed Sperling - 24 Apr, 2014 - Comments: 0

Not too long ago chipmakers used to measure transistors per hour and software developers would measure lines of code written per day or per week. Those metrics have fallen by the wayside—and chipmakers are still lamenting that loss. The problem is that nothing has come along to replace the old metrics, and complexity has left many chipmakers scratching their heads about how to build effici... » read more

The Fading Art of Person-to-Person Communication

By Mike Gianfagna - 24 Apr, 2014 - Comments: 0

Have you ever sat in your cube at work and received an email from the person sitting next to you? Have you watched your kids text their friends when they’re all in the same room? Face it, typing is replacing talking. All this always-on technology is contributing to the demise of simple, person-to-person communication. I sometimes wonder if future generations of well-to-do people will hire pro... » read more

SoC Assembly And IP Reuse

By Kurt Shuler - 24 Apr, 2014 - Comments: 2

I had the honor and opportunity to present at the 2014 Electronic Design Process Symposium in Monterey last Friday. This annual workshop is run by the IEEE Computer Society of Silicon Valley and the IEEE Council on Electronic Design Automation. There were more than 30 participants each day. Most of them very experienced people with lots of technical and business responsibilities. It was ... » read more

How To Improve The Profitability Of Fabless Semiconductor Companies

By Various Writers - 23 Apr, 2014 - Comments: 0

Semiconductor industry gross margins are under pressure. The average gross margin of the industry in Q4 2013 was 53 percent, which was a quarter-over-quarter decline of over 100 basis points (bps), and a continued decline of over 300 bps from the high water mark in Q3 2010 of 56 percent. This white paper explores several effective strategies available to meet the challenges of managing the c... » read more

Improving Yield Of 2.5D Designs

By Ann Mutschler - 18 Apr, 2014 - Comments: 0

While progress is being made on the packaging side of 2.5D design, more needs to be resolved when it comes to improving yields. Proponents of 2.5D present compelling benefits. Arif Rahman, a product architect at Altera, noted that the industry trend of silicon convergence is leading to multiple technologies being integrated into single-chip solutions. “2.5D/3D integration has multiple adva... » read more

Blog Review: April 2

By Ed Sperling - 02 Apr, 2014 - Comments: 0

Mentor’s Nazita Saye compares roadway roundabouts to networked systems. One roundabout works fine, but add in a bunch of them and you have a massive traffic jam. How many roundabouts are in your design? Cadence’s Richard Goering interviews Stan Kroliskoski, chair of the IEEE Design Automation Standards Committee, about four working groups on EDA standards and what’s ahead. Speaking ... » read more

New Approaches For Reliability

By Ed Sperling - 28 Mar, 2014 - Comments: 0

The definition of reliability hasn’t budged since the invention of the IC, but how to achieve it is starting to change. In safety-critical systems, as well as in markets such as aerospace, demands for reliability are so rigorous that they often require redundant circuitry—and for good reason. A PanAmSat malfunction in 1998 caused by tin whisker growth wiped out pagers for 45 million use... » read more

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Knowledge Centers
Entities, people and technologies explored

Shift Left Is The Tip Of The Iceberg

A transformative change is underway for semiconductor design and EDA. New languages, models, and abstractions will need to be created.

by Brian Bailey

Partitioning In The Chiplet Era

Understanding how chiplets interact under different workloads is critical to ensuring signal integrity and optimal performance in heterogeneous designs.

by Ann Mutschler

3.5D: The Great Compromise

Pros and cons of a middle-ground chiplet assembly that combines 2.5D and 3D-IC.

by Ed Sperling

AI’s Role In Chip Design Widens, Drawing In New Startups

Focus is on letting engineers do much more with the same or fewer resources — and less drudgery.

by Karen Heyman

What Comes After HBM For Chiplets

The standard for high-bandwidth memory limits design freedom at many levels, but that is required for interoperability. What freedoms can be taken from other functions to make chiplets possible?

by Brian Bailey

Memory Fundamentals For Engineers

eBook: Nearly everything you need to know about memory, including detailed explanations of the different types of memory; how and where these are used today; what's changing, which memories are successful and which ones might be in the future; and the limitations of each memory type.

by The SE Staff

Why Small Fab And Assembly Houses Are Thriving

Megafabs churning out the most advanced processors are not the only game in town.

by Bryon Moyer

New AI Processors Architectures Balance Speed With Efficiency

Hot Chips 24: Large language models ratchet up pressure for sustainable computing and heterogeneous integration; data management becomes key differentiator.