PCIe 8.0: Enabling The Next Generation Of High Bandwidth Systems


As compute architectures evolve to support increasingly data‑intensive workloads, the role of high‑speed I/O has never been more critical. Artificial intelligence, high‑performance computing, hyperscale infrastructure, and advanced networking all depend on moving massive volumes of data efficiently, reliably, and at scale. The PCI‑SIG’s announcement of PCIe 8.0, which targets 256.0... » read more

PCIe 8.0: Preparing For The Next Doubling


By Monica Olvera and Gustavo Pimentel Every few years, the industry confronts the same challenge: can general-purpose I/O double again without overwhelming power budgets, overwhelming signal-integrity limits, or fragmenting the ecosystem? With PCIe 8.0, the answer appears to be yes—if the entire stack continues to advance together. Public PCI-SIG information outlines an objective of 256.0 ... » read more

High-Speed Test IO: Addressing High-Performance Data Transmission And Testing Needs For HPC & AI


By Lakshmi Jain and Wei-Yu Ma The AI and HPC industries are rapidly shifting toward chiplet-based designs to achieve unprecedented levels of performance, as traditional monolithic system-on-chip (SoC) architectures face scaling limitations. This transition is fueled by the rise of heterogeneous integration, which is driving innovation across the semiconductor sector. However, this advancemen... » read more

3DIO IP For Multi-Die Integration


By Lakshmi Jain and Wei-Yu Ma The demand for high performance computing, next-gen servers, and AI accelerators is growing rapidly, increasing the need for faster data processing with expanding workloads. This rising complexity presents two significant challenges: manufacturability and cost. From a manufacturing standpoint, these processing engines are nearing the maximum size that lithogra... » read more

Working With Chiplets


The usual method of migrating to the next process node to cram more features onto a piece of silicon no longer works. It's too expensive, and too limited for most applications. The path forward is now heterogeneous chiplets targeted at specific markets, and while logic will continue to scale, other features are being separated out into chiplets developed using different process technologies. Th... » read more

Dealing With Performance Bottlenecks In SoCs


A surge in the amount of data that SoCs need to process is bogging down performance, and while the processors themselves can handle that influx, memory and communication bandwidth are straining. The question now is what can be done about it. The gap between memory and CPU bandwidth — the so-called memory wall — is well documented and definitely not a new problem. But it has not gone away... » read more

What Future Processors Will Look Like


Mark Papermaster, CTO at AMD, sat down with Semiconductor Engineering to talk about architectural changes that are required as the benefits of scaling decrease, including chiplets, new standards for heterogeneous integration, and different types of memory. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. SE: What does a processor look like in five years? Is it a bunch of chips in a package? I... » read more

Scaling Bump Pitches In Advanced Packaging


Interconnects for advanced packaging are at a crossroads as an assortment of new package types are pushing further into the mainstream, with some vendors opting to extend the traditional bump approaches while others roll out new ones to replace them. The goal in all cases is to ensure signal integrity between components in IC packages as the volume of data being processed increases. But as d... » read more

Leveraging Symbolic Simulations For IO Verification


IO libraries and interface IPs are an important part of any integrated circuit design that needs to communicate with the outside world or other integrated circuits. Interface IPs are the literal gatekeepers to the flow of logical and electrical information from one IC to another to form today’s complex computer systems, influencing almost every aspect of our lives these days. Interface IPs (e... » read more

Primary, Anonymous, or What?


Top level primary I/Os remain mysterious in the verification world, specifically when you consider UPF-based low power designs. In real silicon, they are usually driven by off-chip supplies; however, verification complications are multifold for RTL and gate level simulations of them. This paper studies the “simulation-impacting” features of design top IOs and the effect of each feature on v... » read more

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