Do Circuits Whisper Or Shout?


Maximizing SoC performance and minimizing power is becoming a multi-layered and multi-company challenge that depends on everything from ecosystem feedback and interactions to micro-architectural decisions about whether analog circuits whisper or shout. What used to be a straightforward architectural tradeoff between performance and power has evolved into a much more diffuse and collaborativ... » read more

Overcoming The Design Bottleneck


SoCs control most advanced electronics these days and functionality, quality, power and security are a combination of both hardware and software. All throughout the development of today's complex systems, the memory hierarchy has remained the same—preserving the notion of a continuous computing paradigm. Today, that decision is leading to performance and power issues. There are several rea... » read more

Tech Talk: Lower Power Embedded NVM


Jen-Tai Hsu, Kilopass' vice president of engineering, talks about lower-voltage bit cells, where they fit in IoT designs and how they affect battery life. [youtube vid=dNDkuApHumU] » read more

High Speed Memory Interface Chipsets Let Server Performance Fly


The demands on server performance continue to increase at a tremendous pace. New requirements from large in-memory databases that are powering today’s cloud services and advanced analytics tools are arriving just as the impact of Moore’s Law is starting to slow. This is setting up a classic performance challenge that requires rethinking some of the core elements of today’s server archit... » read more

Emerging IoT Applications Require Careful Consideration


The Internet of Things (IoT) is creating opportunities in the existing space held by traditional semiconductor applications, typically falling into categories that include industrial, fitness, health and lifestyle to apparel, safety and productivity. But there also are new, inventive devices. In the last several months, we’ve seen the launch of a canine Fitbit, a hybrid dog collar, and dyn... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Oct. 27


Searching for energy-efficient architectures A workshop jointly funded by the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) and National Science Foundation (NSF) sought out the key factors limiting progress in computing – particularly related to energy consumption – and novel research that could overcome these barriers. The report focuses on the most promising research directions in the ex... » read more

What China Is Planning


Over the years, China has unveiled several initiatives to advance its domestic semiconductor industry. China has made some progress at each turn, although every plan has fallen short of expectations. But now, the nation is embarking on several new and bold initiatives that could alter the IC landscape. China’s new initiatives address at least three key challenges for its IC industry: 1. C... » read more

Exploring System Architectures For Data-Intensive Applications


The exponential growth of digital data is being driven by a number of factors, including the burgeoning Internet of Things (IoT) and an increased reliance on complex analytics extracted from extremely large data sets. Perhaps not surprisingly, IDC analysts see digital data doubling roughly every two years. This dramatic growth continues to challenge, and in some cases, even outpace industry cap... » read more

Ideal Memory IP For IoT Applications


The endless possibilities for IoT applications are driving a new wave of imaginative thinking, and for good reason. Recent surveys estimate the number of IoT devices by 2020 will be in the 50 billion units range. The numbers are far too high to ignore and, hence, we have entered a new era of imaginative and creative thinking! To put this in perspective, IoT applications are growing many time... » read more

Memory Hierarchy Shakeup


It’s no secret that today’s memory chips and storage devices are struggling to keep up with the growing demands in data processing. To solve the problem, chipmakers have been working on several next-generation memory types. But most technologies have been delayed or fallen short of their promises. But after numerous delays, a new wave of next-generation, nonvolatile memories are finally ... » read more

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