Prototypes Proliferate


Hardware prototyping and [getkc id="30" kc_name="emulation"] have been two sides of the same coin ever since the [gettech id="31071" comment="FPGA"] became a commercial success. Early emulators were all built from FPGAs, and most were used in-circuit, much like prototypes are today. More recently, emulation has become a major piece of the [getkc id="10" kc_name="verification"] flow, to the poin... » read more

System Coverage Undefined


When is a design ready to be taped out? That has been one of the toughest questions to confront every design team, and it's the one verification engineers lose sleep over. Exhaustive [getkc id="56" kc_name="coverage"] has not been possible since the 1980s. Several metrics and methodologies have been defined to help answer the question and to raise confidence that important aspects of a block... » read more

Verifying AI, Machine Learning


[getperson id="11306" comment="Raik Brinkmann"], president and CEO of [getentity id="22395" e_name="OneSpin Solutions"], sat down to talk about artificial intelligence, machine learning, and neuromorphic chips. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. SE: What's changing in [getkc id="305" kc_name="machine learning"]? Brinkmann: There’s a real push toward computing at the edge. ... » read more

DVCon Europe Takes Over Munich October 16-17


DVCon Europe is on the horizon, and this year's program should prove to be very timely. Chips and systems are getting more complex, verification is becoming more difficult, and formal has emerged as a critical piece of the verification suite The lineup this year tackles some key issues facing a changing semiconductor landscape. During a Monday tutorial, “Next Generation ISO 26262-based De... » read more

The Week In Review: Design


Tools Cadence unveiled a new equivalence checking tool which features a massively parallel architecture capable of scaling to 100s of CPUs and adaptive proof technology that analyzes each partition and determines the optimal formal algorithm. According to the company, the Conformal Smart Logic Equivalence Checker provides an average of 4X runtime improvement with the same resources over the pr... » read more

A Chip For All Seasons


FPGAs are showing up in more designs and in more markets, and as they get included in more systems they are becoming much more complex. A decade ago, the key markets for [gettech id="31071" t_name="FPGAs"] were industrial, medical, automotive and aerospace. Those markets remain strong, but FPGAs also are playing a role in artificial intelligence, data centers, the [getkc id="76" kc_name="... » read more

The Semiconductor Industry’s Big Opportunity


Safety critical device development, particularly in the automotive electronics space, has the attention of the entire semiconductor industry. Not surprising, since next-generation cars represent the biggest opportunity yet since mobile devices. However, what’s less obvious are the various phases of this megatrend that represent real convergence from many specializations. Traditional automo... » read more

When Is Verification Complete?


Deciding when verification is done is becoming a much more difficult decision, prompting verification teams to increasingly rely on metrics rather than just the tests listed in the verification plan. This trend has been underway for the past couple of process nodes, but it takes time to spot trends and determine whether they are real or just aberrations. The Wilson Research Group conducts a ... » read more

Is Design Innovation Slowing?


Paul Teich, principal analyst for Tirias Research, gave a provocative talk at the recent DAC conference entitled, "Is Integration Leaving Less Room for Design Innovation?" The answer isn't as simple as the question might suggest. "Integration used to be a driver for increasing the functionality of silicon," Teich said. "Increasingly, it will be used to incorporate more features of an entire ... » read more

IP Challenges Ahead


The revenue from semiconductor [getkc id="43" kc_name="IP"] has risen steadily to become the largest segment of the EDA industry. Industry forecasts expect it to keep growing at a CAGR of more than 10% for the next decade. Part one of this article examined the possibility those forecasts are wrong and that large semiconductor companies are likely to start bringing IP development back in hous... » read more

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