Blog Review: Jan. 9


Cadence's Paul McLellan considers the challenges facing copper interconnects as resistance gets harder to deal with and the pros and cons of potential replacement materials. Mentor's Harry Foster digs into how FPGA design and verification engineers spend their time, and why the time designers spend designing has increased. Synopsys' Taylor Armerding contends that the way we use passwords ... » read more

Quantum Issues And Progress


Quantum computing is showing significant promise, and research is beginning to move from the earliest stages to a deeper understanding of what works best commercially and why. On paper, quantum computing algorithms are potentially revolutionary. They suggest a way to solve some problems more quickly and more accurately than conventional computers ever could. But out in the real world of prac... » read more

What’s the Right Path For Scaling?


The growing challenges of traditional chip scaling at advanced nodes are prompting the industry to take a harder look at different options for future devices. Scaling is still on the list, with the industry laying plans for 5nm and beyond. But less conventional approaches are becoming more viable and gaining traction, as well, including advanced packaging and in-memory computing. Some option... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Tariffs The United States and China are in the midst of a trade war. New data shows that tariffs on imported Chinese products now cost the technology industry an additional $1 billion per month, according to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Nearly 70% of tariffs paid by the hi-tech industry come from the $200 billion product list enacted Sep. 24. Tariffs on CTA-identified tech pro... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Chipmakers Foxconn is in talks to build a fab in Zhuhai, China, according to a report from Nikkei. The fab, to cost $9 billion, would make chips for Foxconn and outside companies, the report said, which says the company will enter the foundry business. The European Commission has approved funding for 1.75 billion euros ($2 billion) of public investment for projects in the microelectronics... » read more

Week in Review: IoT, Security, Auto


Internet of Things Unmanned aerial vehicles are delivering vaccines to the very remote village of Cook’s Bay, on the island of Erromango, one of 83 volcanic islands in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. The drones can go from island to island faster than boats, which often are not a travel option during rough weather. Vanuatu this week began its vaccine deliveries by drones with support fr... » read more

Fundamental Shifts In 2018


What surprised the industry in 2018?  While business has been strong, markets are changing, product categories are shifting and clouds are forming on the horizon. As 2018 comes to a close, most companies are pretty happy with the way everything turned out. Business has been booming, new product categories developing, and profits are meeting or beating market expectations. "2018 was indeed a... » read more

Blog Review: Dec. 19


Cadence's Dave Pursley checks out the state of high-level synthesis and notes that 39% of survey respondents expect to be using it for the majority of designs within three years. In a video, Mentor's Colin Walls digs into how to measure RTOS performance with a focus on interrupt latency. Synopsys' Taylor Armerding chats with Chenxi Wang of Rain Capital to find what the security landscape will... » read more

Fab Equipment Challenges For 2019


After a period of record growth, the semiconductor equipment industry is facing a slowdown in 2019, in addition to several technical challenges that still need to be resolved. Generally, the equipment industry saw enormous demand in 2017, and the momentum extended into the first part of 2018. But then the memory market began deteriorating in the middle of this year, causing both DRAM and NAND ... » read more

5 Observations From Intel’s Event


Not long ago, Intel hosted its “Architecture Day,” where top executives from the chip giant revealed the company’s latest products and next-generation technologies. The company also discussed its strategy. To be sure, it’s a critical time for Intel. In June, Brian Krzanich was forced out as chief executive and the company is still looking for a permanent CEO. Plus, Intel has delayed it... » read more

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