tag: IBM

The End Of Automated Patent Trolls?
By Brian Bailey - 27 Feb, 2014 - Comments: 2

I have written several articles and blogs recently about the [getkc id="16" comment="patent"] system, and readers of What Were They Thinking know that I like to poke fun at patents that never should have been issued because they are obvious, silly or would never actually be able to work. There are patents that cover using a laser pointer to play with a cat, to water a Christmas tree or to creat... » read more

Are Processors Running Out Of Steam?
By Ed Sperling - 24 Feb, 2014 - Comments: 1

Check out any smart phone these days and you’ll find some reference to the number of cores in the device. It’s not the number of cores that makes a difference, though—or even the clock speed at which they run. Performance depends on the underlying design for how they’re utilized, how often that happens, how much memory they share, how much interaction there is between the cores, and the... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Design, Test
By Mark LaPedus - 21 Feb, 2014 - Comments: 0

Reports have surfaced that IBM’s semiconductor unit is on the block, and there has been discussion about the reasons and the aftermath. Sources say there are at least two potential buyers for the unit—Samsung and TowerJazz. Apparently, the talks between IBM-Samsung and IBM-TowerJazz have been going on for some time. Multiple sources believe that Samsung is interested in buying IBM’s advan... » read more

The Search For The Next Transistor
By Mark LaPedus - 20 Feb, 2014 - Comments: 3

In the near term, the leading-edge chip roadmap looks fairly clear. Chips based on today’s finFETs and planar fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) technologies are expected to scale down to the 10nm node. But then, the CMOS roadmap becomes foggy at 7nm and beyond. The industry has been exploring a number of next-generation transistor candidates, but suddenly, a few technologies are ... » read more

Quantum Computer Race Heats Up
By Mark LaPedus - 20 Feb, 2014 - Comments: 0

For years, there has been an intense race among various nations to develop the world’s fastest supercomputers. The U.S. and Japan led the field until 2010, when China stunned the market and rolled out the world’s fastest supercomputer. And today, China continues to lead the field with a supercomputer capable of running at speeds of 33.86 petaflops per second. While the supercomputer race... » read more

Interconnect Challenges Grow
By Mark LaPedus - 20 Feb, 2014 - Comments: 0

Qualcomm outlined the technology challenges facing mobile chip suppliers at a recent event. In no particular order, the challenges include the usual suspects—area scaling, power reduction, performance and cost. Another concern for Qualcomm is an often-overlooked part of the equation—the backend-of-the-line (BEOL). In chip production, the BEOL is where the interconnects are formed within ... » read more

Why Would IBM Sell Its Semi Group?
By Ed Sperling - 20 Feb, 2014 - Comments: 1

Rumors are always just rumors until proven otherwise in business, but in the case of IBM’s semiconductor business, hints about the sale of its semiconductor business are particularly noteworthy. Much has changed since the days when IBM—as International Business Machines—went head-to-head with AT&T’s quasi-public Bell Labs and Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). The breakup of... » read more

Are Processors Running Out Of Steam?
By Ed Sperling - 14 Feb, 2014 - Comments: 4

In 2004, Intel introduced a new line of Pentium chips that ran at 3.6GHz. Fast forward to today, and the company’s i7 processors run at 3.5GHz with a Turbo Boost to 3.9GHz. There have been many improvements in the meantime. There is more cache and dramatically faster access to data stored in that cache. And there are more cores with improved coherency between them. But the big problem is p... » read more

The Week In Review: System-Level Design
By Ed Sperling - 14 Feb, 2014 - Comments: 0

Cadence bought TranSwitch’s high-speed interface IP assets. TranSwitch, which made chips for communications equipment, filed for bankruptcy in November. (The company’s Web site is no longer active.) Cadence also won a deal with Microsoft, which will use Tensilica processors in the new Xbox One audio subsystem. And Cadence rolled out HiFi Audio Tunneling for Android, which takes advantage of... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Feb. 11
By Mark LaPedus - 11 Feb, 2014 - Comments: 1

Monolithic 3D SRAM project A group of companies have started a research project to propel the development of monolithic 3D chip technology. The research project, called COMPOSE³, involves the ability to stack transistors vertically. Within three years, the group hopes to unveil a proof of concept for building the world’s first 14nm, 3D-stacked SRAM cell based on III-V materials. Co... » read more

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