Flash Getting Stacked High-Bandwidth Version


Key takeaways: A new HBF 3D flash stack is similar to HBM for use in AI processing. HBF capacity will be much higher, allowing static storage of AI model weights, with optimized read speed. Samples are due out later this year, with accelerators featuring it coming out next year. AI inference using modern models requires billions of parameters, and moving them to where they c... » read more

Chip Industry Week In Review


Disruptions caused by the Iran conflict have taken about one third of the global helium supply off the market, an essential gas for semiconductor manufacturing, reports the World Economic Forum. Other potential impacts for the chip industry include bromine and other chemical shortages, logistical disruptions, and higher energy prices incurred by fabs in Asia. Top Deals IBM and Lam R... » read more

Verifying Scale-Up And Scale-Out In Data Centers


Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss challenges and solutions for data center build-out and build-up with Gordon Allan, Siemens EDA director of verification IP; Rishi Chugh, vice president of product marketing for network switching at Marvell; Saravanan Kalinagasamy, senior director of ASIC design and validation at Astera Labs; and Jalaj Gupta, product engineering lead at Siemens EDA. ... » read more

3DKs: Making Headway On Chiplet Standards


The chiplet model has been proven by the early adopters. Large companies that successfully developed chips at leading nodes have integrated multiple chiplets into systems, where the entire silicon cycle is performed in-house. But the industry’s long-term goal of a free and open chiplet marketplace, in which companies of any size can reap the rewards and economies of scale associated with mult... » read more

Chiplets Still A Challenge With UCIe 2.0


Plug-and-play chiplets are a popular goal, but does UCIe 2.0 move us any closer to that becoming a reality? The problem is that the current drivers of the standard are not after interoperability in the way that plug-and-play requires. Released in August 2024, UCIe 2.0 touts higher bandwidth density and improved power efficiency, as well as new features supporting 3D packaging, a manageable s... » read more

UMI: Extending Chiplet Interconnect Standards To Deal With The Memory Wall


With the Open Compute Project (OCP) Summit upon us, it’s an appropriate time to talk about chiplet interconnect (in fact the 2024 OCP Summit has a whole day dedicated to the multi-die topic, on October 17). Of particular interest is the Bunch of Wires (BoW) interconnect specification that continues to evolve. At OCP there will be an update and working group looking at version 2.1 of BoW. (... » 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

Challenges With Chiplets And Packaging


Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss IC packaging technology trends, chiplets, shortages and other topics with William Chen, a fellow at ASE; Michael Kelly, vice president of advanced packaging development and integration at Amkor; Richard Otte, president and CEO of Promex, the parent company of QP Technologies; Michael Liu, senior director of global technical marketing at JCET; and Th... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Government policy At one point, there was a school of thought that the Biden administration would relax the current tariffs and export controls in regards to China. So far, the Biden administration hasn’t changed any of the previous policies and is doubling down on those efforts. The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) this week added seven Chinese supercomput... » read more

Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


Pervasive computing — IoT, edge, cloud, data center, and back LG Electronics says it is closing its mobile business unit to focus on growth areas such as electric vehicle components, connected devices, smart homes, robotics, artificial intelligence and business-to-business solutions, as well as platforms and services. The company will continue to update some premium phones after it leaves th... » read more

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