Security Research: Technical Paper Round-Up


A number of hardware security-related technical papers were presented at recent conferences, including the August 2022 USENIX Security Symposium and IEEE’s International Symposium on Hardware Oriented Security and Trust (HOST). Topics include side-channel attacks and defenses (including on-chip mesh interconnect attacks), heterogeneous attacks on cache hierarchies, rowhammer attacks and mitig... » read more

An Escalation of Rowhammer To Rows Beyond Immediate Neighbors


Researchers at Graz University of Technology, Lamarr Security Research, Google, AWS, and Rivos presented this new technical paper titled "Half-Double: Hammering From the Next Row Over" at the USENIX Security Symposium in Boston in August 2022. Abstract: "Rowhammer is a vulnerability in modern DRAM where repeated accesses to one row (the aggressor) give off electrical disturbance whose cumu... » read more

New Uses For AI In Chips


Artificial intelligence is being deployed across a number of new applications, from improving performance and reducing power in a wide range of end devices to spotting irregularities in data movement for security reasons. While most people are familiar with using machine learning and deep learning to distinguish between cats and dogs, emerging applications show how this capability can be use... » read more

Week In Review, Manufacturing, Test


Post-CHIPS Act Micron is discussing a potential new fab that could employ thousands of workers, following the passage of the Chips and Science Act. Idaho is hoping it will be built near its headquarters facilities in Boise, but Micron hasn’t committed publicly. Rob Beard, senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Micron, told the Idaho Statesman the company is consi... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Quantum Computing Researchers in China are putting a damper on Google’s claims of achieving quantum supremacy after they were able to use normal processors to complete a difficult calculation in a few hours. Sycamore, Google’s quantum computer, completed the same calculation in a few minutes back in 2019, but the company said it would take a supercomputer more than 10,000 years to do the... » read more

A Sputnik Moment For Chips


Chip shortages are the new Sputnik moment, and they have created a sense of national and regional panic not seen since the days of the Cold War. For both the United States and Europe, those shortages have sparked some of the largest technology investments by government in the past half-century that are not strictly for the military — and by far the biggest involving semiconductors. Whi... » read more

Week In Review, Design, Low Power


Financial News Cadence announced second quarter revenue of $858 million, an increase of 17.9% compared with the same period a year ago when revenue was $728 million. President and CEO Anirudh Devgan said the company’s results are “emblematic of the megatrends of the long-term strength of semis, systems companies investing more in silicon, and the convergence of system and chip designs.�... » read more

Bespoke Silicon Redefines Custom ASICs


Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss bespoke silicon and what's driving that customization with Kam Kittrell, vice president of product management in the Digital & Signoff group at Cadence; Rupert Baines, chief marketing officer at Codasip; Kevin McDermott, vice president of marketing at Imperas; Mo Faisal, CEO of Movellus; Ankur Gupta, vice president and general manager of Siemens... » read more

Week in Review: Design, Low Power


Acquisitions Renesas completed its acquisition of Reality Analytics, which specializes in embedded AI and TinyML solutions for advanced non-visual sensing in automotive, industrial and commercial products. Siemens Digital Industries Software will acquire Zona Technology, which develops aerospace simulation software. Siemens plans to integrate that software into its wXcelerator and Simcenter... » read more

Toward Democratized IC Design And Customized Computing


Integrated circuit (IC) design is often considered a “black art,” restricted to only those with advanced degrees or years of training in electrical engineering. Given that the semiconductor industry is struggling to expand its workforce, IC design must be rendered more accessible. The benefit of customized computing General-purpose computers are widely used, but their performance improv... » read more

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