Power/Performance Costs In Chip Security


Hackers ranging from hobbyists to corporate spies and nation states are continually poking and prodding for weaknesses in data centers, cars, personal computers, and every other electronic device, resulting in a growing effort to build security into chips and electronic systems. The current estimate is that 60% of chips and systems have some type of security built in, and that percentage is ... » read more

Chip Industry Week In Review


Synopsys refocused its security priorities around chips, striking a deal to sell off its Software Integrity Group subsidiary to private equity firms Clearlake Capital Group and Francisco Partners for about $2.1 billion. That deal comes on the heels of Synopsys' recent acquisition of Intrinsic ID, which develops physical unclonable function IP. Sassine Ghazi, Synopsys' president and CEO, said in... » read more

Chip Industry Week In Review


By Adam Kovac, Gregory Haley, and Liz Allan. The U.S. government released a 61-page report, titled "National Strategy on Microelectronics Research,” by the Subcommittee On Microelectronics Leadership. It provides a framework for government, industry, academia, and international allies to address four major goals. Synopsys  acquired Intrinsic ID, which develops physical unclonable func... » read more

Plugging Gaps In The IC Supply Chain


Multiple touch points in manufacturing and packaging are exposing gaps in the data used to track different components, making it difficult to identify the source of issues that can affect yield and reliability, and opening the door to counterfeit or sub-standard parts. This involves more than just assigning a simple identifying code to a chip. At different points in a device's lifecycle, new... » read more

Fingerprinting Chips For Traceability


Semiconductor components increasingly require unclonable and tamper resistant identifiers, which are especially necessary as devices become increasingly heterogeneous collections of chiplets and subsystems. These fingerprints provide traceability, which contributes to process improvements and yield learning and enable tracking for a tightly managed supply chain. While some of this technology... » read more

Chip Industry Week In Review


By Jesse Allen, Karen Heyman, and Liz Allan AMD took the covers off new AI accelerators for training and inferencing of large language model and high-performance computing workloads. In its announcement, AMD focused heavily on performance leadership in the commercial AI processor space through a combination of architectural changes, better software efficiency, along with some improvements in... » read more

Taking eFPGA Security To The Next Level


Security is an important topic for every SOC, but it’s especially salient in the context of high-risk assets included in the eFPGA for obfuscation. Whether the device is used in defense systems or in cars driving around town, encryption is important so the device remains secure and can’t be modified maliciously, whether through physical attacks or remote hacking. There are several different... » read more

Chiplets: Deep Dive Into Designing, Manufacturing, And Testing


Chiplets are a disruptive technology. They change the way chips are designed, manufactured, tested, packaged, as well as the underlying business relationships and fundamentals. But they also open the door to vast new opportunities for existing chipmakers and startups to create highly customized components and systems for specific use cases and market segments. This LEGO-like approach sounds ... » read more

Data Leakage Becoming Bigger Issue For Chipmakers


Data leakage is becoming more difficult to stop or even trace as chips become increasingly complex and heterogeneous, and as more data is stored and utilized by chipmakers for other designs. Unlike a cyberattack, which typically is done for a specific purpose, such as collecting private data or holding a system ransom, data leaks can spring up anywhere. And as the value of data increases, th... » read more

Chiplet Security Risks Underestimated


The semiconductor ecosystem is abuzz with the promise of chiplets, but there is far less attention being paid to security in those chiplets or the heterogeneous systems into which they will be integrated. Disaggregating SoCs into chiplets significantly alters the cybersecurity threat landscape. Unlike a monolithic multi-function chip, which usually is manufactured using the same process tech... » read more

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