The Perfect Risk


The development of semiconductors is an act of risk management. Very simply put, if you take on too much risk, it could lead to product failure or a missed market window, both of which can cost $M. For a company that only produces one or two products a year, that can spell total disaster. If you do not take on enough risk, you are probably not going to end up with a competitive product that ... » read more

Tech Talk: Faster Simulation


Cadence’s Adam Sherer talks about how to speed up simulation in complex multi-core designs. https://youtu.be/lDgMwU5KN7U » read more

Tech Talk: MCU Acceleration


Tony Kozaczuk, director of Solutions Architecture at Flex Logix, talks about how to add programmability, efficiency, and speed into microcontrollers. https://youtu.be/rDZFjlut_N8 » read more

Distributed Intelligence Gets Real


I write for a living, which means a lot of typing. But it can also mean a lot of talking, thanks to technology. For six years now, I’ve happily used voice-to-text apps on my smart phone. These cloud-based services have made me immensely more productive, whether it’s dictating an email or a story idea. I once dictated an entire blog post into my phone while I was driving (don’t tell an... » read more

Massive SoC Designs Open Doors To New Era In Simulation


As system-on-chip (SoC) designs have grown in size, simulation technologies have had to evolve dramatically to keep pace. We’re now at an inflection point where both speed and capacity are essential and new simulation technologies are needed to meet the demands. In this paper, we’ll discuss how simulation has evolved and examine how new technologies such as the Cadence RocketSim Parallel Si... » read more

Rethinking Computing For The AI Age


Cisco estimates that global cloud IP traffic will nearly quadruple in the next five years. Information consumption is exploding with artificial intelligence (AI) embedded into all devices and experiences surrounding us. However, we do not want that to come at a cost of our security and privacy. Talk about pressure. On you. Today, much of computing is done in the cloud for things that you are... » read more

Finding The Unexpected In High Performance Designs


It was growing dark as I drove a winding road on Mt. Hood, deep in the American northwest forest. The firs were thick, creating a lot of shadows and making it tough to see things clearly. Then out of the corner of my eye, I swear I saw a 10-foot “man” covered with brown fur. It looked a lot like a Wookie. But everyone knows Wookies aren’t real. It had to be Bigfoot! I slammed on th... » read more

Mobile Processors Move Beyond Phones


Mobile processors, also known as application processors, are well-known as the engines that run smartphones, tablet computers, and other wireless devices. But these chips increasingly are finding their way into autonomous vehicles, the Internet of Things, unmanned aerial vehicles, virtual reality, and other applications far beyond phone calls and text messages. Moreover, they are gaining in com... » read more

MediaTek Grabs Another Gear


Today, it seems to be all the rage for automotive manufacturers to try to continuously one up the competition by announcing a new transmission that has more gears or “speeds." (Popular Mechanics did a nice article about why you would want more gears.) Basically, transmission designers want to keep the engine operating at or near its peak operating efficiency point and extend the operating ran... » read more

How Many Cores? (Part 2)


New chip architectures and new packaging options—including fan-outs and 2.5D—are changing basic design considerations for how many cores are needed, what they are used for, and how to solve some increasingly troublesome bottlenecks. As reported in part one, just adding more cores doesn't necessarily improve performance, and adding the wrong size or kinds of cores wastes power. That has s... » read more

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