Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Tools & IP Imperas Software introduced the RISC-V Verification Interface (RVVI). The open standard and methodology can be adapted to any configuration permitted within the RISC-V specifications. RVVI defines interfaces between RTL, reference model, and testbench for RISC-V design verification, with the aim of making RISC-V processor DV reusable. It supports multi-hart, superscalar, and out... » read more

Data Center Architectures In Flux


Data center architectures are becoming increasingly customized and heterogeneous, shifting from processors made by a single vendor to a mix of processors and accelerators made by multiple vendors — including system companies' own design teams. Hyperscaler data centers have been migrating toward increasingly heterogeneous architectures for the past half decade or so, spurred by the rising c... » read more

Why Data Center Power Will Never Come Down


Data centers have become significant consumers of energy. In order to deal with the proliferation of data centers and the servers within them, there is a big push to reduce the energy consumption of all data center components. With all that effort, will data center power really come down? The answer is no, despite huge improvements in energy efficiency. “Keeping data center power consum... » read more

Startup Funding: January 2022


China's startups are the star of the month once again, with more companies based or co-headquartered in the country receiving funding in January 2022 than the rest of the world combined. Exact investment figures for Chinese startups are frequently not reported, but based on minimum amounts given, they raised more than the rest of the world as well. The largest round of the month went to a co... » read more

Growth Spurred By Negatives


The success and health of the semiconductor industry is driven by the insatiable appetite for increasingly complex devices that impact every aspect of our lives. The number of design starts for the chips used in those devices drives the EDA industry. But at no point in history have there been as many market segments driving innovation as there are today. Moreover, there is no indication this... » read more

Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


Security Arm shipped a prototype CHERI-enabled Morello processor, SoC, and board, the first products coming from the security Morello research program that aims to make more secure hardware that will block certain common attacks. The first board prototypes are going to testing teams at Google, Microsoft, and other major stakeholders and partners across the industry and academia.  The UKRI (UK... » read more

Can Coherent Optics Reduce Data-Center Power?


As optical bandwidth requirements increase, system designers are turning to “coherent” modulation schemes that can place more data on the same laser light, and lower power over long connections. A newer question is whether those savings could be achieved for short connections within data centers, as well. “Coherent is the direction everything's moving, because for a given system and... » read more

Building A More Secure U.S. Microelectronic Design Infrastructure


The security of the U.S. microelectronic designs and their supply chain is becoming a significantly growing concern for both commercial semiconductor companies and the Department of Defense (DoD). The industry has seen significant impact from both silicon shortages and vulnerabilities that have caused disruption in the assurance of microelectronics that power our autonomous vehicles, 5G, and co... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Tools Imperas Software released updated simulator and reference models that support the latest RISC-V extensions for Bit Manipulation 1.0.0, Cryptographic (Scalar) 1.0.0, and Vector 1.0, plus Privilege Specification 1.12. They are offered both as freely available, open-source reference models for the RISC-V community as well as commercial products. Ansys' multiphysics signoff solutions were... » read more

Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


Automotive The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is funding 25 cleaner car and truck projects with $199 million. Projects include long-haul trucks powered by batteries and fuel cells, and at improving the nation’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. The Volvo Group North America (VGNA) will receive $18 million in federal funds under DOE’s  SuperTruck 3 Program. Daimler Trucks N... » read more

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