Globally Asynchronous, Locally Synchronous Clocks

By Ed Sperling - 04 Nov, 2024 - Comments: 0

Typical IC clocking schemes are under stress in complex chip/chiplet designs, where multiple compute elements may not be operating at the same frequency consistently. Some cores may be powered down to save energy, or they may age at different rates, which in turn reduces performance. Lee Vick, vice president of strategic marketing at Movellus, explains why locally asynchronous clocking schemes ... » read more

Fine-Grained Functional Partitioning For Low Level SRAM Cache in 3D-IC designs (imec)

By Technical Paper Link - 27 Sep, 2024 - Comments: 0

A new technical paper titled "Towards Fine-grained Partitioning of Low-level SRAM Caches for Emerging 3D-IC Designs" was published by researchers at imec. "We propose a partitioning of low-level (faster access) caches in 3D using an Array Under CMOS (AuC) technology paradigm. Our study focuses on partitioning and optimization of SRAM bit-cells and peripheral circuits, enabling heterogeneous ... » read more

3D IC Partitioning and Placement Method That Optimizes For Critical Paths (POSTECH)

By Technical Paper Link - 12 Sep, 2024 - Comments: 0

A new technical paper titled "TA3D: Timing-Aware 3D IC Partitioning and Placement by Optimizing the Critical Path" was published by researchers at Pohang University of Science and Technology and Baum Design Systems. Abstract "In the face of challenges posed by semiconductor scaling, 3D integration technology has emerged as a crucial solution to overcome the constraints of traditional 2D I... » read more

Making Electronics More Efficient

By Ed Sperling - 31 Jul, 2024 - Comments: 0

Projections about the amount of energy required for AI in data centers and other electronic devices are putting a spotlight on more efficient electronics. But making chips and systems more efficient is an enormous challenge. It used to be as simple as turning down the voltage or moving to the next process node, but those approaches are no longer yielding the same kinds of benefits as in the pas... » read more

Cache Coherency In Heterogeneous Systems

By Ed Sperling - 01 Apr, 2024 - Comments: 0

Until recently, coherency was something normally associated with DRAM. But as chip designs become increasingly heterogeneous, incorporating more and different types of compute elements, it becomes harder to maintain coherency in that data without taking a significant hit on performance and power. The basic problem is that not all compute elements fetch and share data at the same speed, and syst... » read more

Partitioning Processors For AI Workloads

By Ann Mutschler - 12 Oct, 2023 - Comments: 0

Partitioning in complex chips is beginning to resemble a high-stakes guessing game, where choices need to extrapolate from what is known today to what is expected by the time a chip finally ships. Partitioning of workloads used to be a straightforward task, although not necessarily a simple one. It depended on how a device was expected to be used, the various compute, storage and data paths ... » read more

True 3D Is Much Tougher Than 2.5D

By Brian Bailey - 23 Mar, 2023 - Comments: 0

Creating real 3D designs is proving to be much more complex and difficult than 2.5D, requiring significant innovation in both technology and tools. While there has been much discussion about 3D designs, there are multiple interpretations about what 3D entails. This is more than just semantics, however, because each packaging option requires different design approaches and technologies. And a... » read more

Costs of Static HW Partitioning on RISC-V

By Technical Paper Link - 25 Aug, 2022 - Comments: 0

A new technical paper titled "Static Hardware Partitioning on RISC-V -- Shortcomings, Limitations, and Prospects" was published by researchers at Technical University of Applied Sciences (Regensburg, Germany) and Siemens AG (Corporate Research). Abstract "On embedded processors that are increasingly equipped with multiple CPU cores, static hardware partitioning is an established means of c... » read more

Structural Vs. Functional

By Brian Bailey - 23 Nov, 2021 - Comments: 0

When working on an article about PLM and semiconductors, I got to review a favorite topic from my days in EDA development – verification versus validation. I built extensive presentations around it and tried to persuade people within the EDA industry, as well as customers, about the advantages of doing a top-down functional modeling and analysis. The V diagram that everyone uses is flawed and... » read more

Partitioning For Better Performance And Power

By Ann Mutschler - 28 Oct, 2021 - Comments: 0

Partitioning is becoming more critical and much more complex as design teams balance different ways to optimize performance and power, shifting their focus from a single chip to a package or system involving multiple chips with very specific tasks. Approaches to design partitioning have changed over the years, most recently because processor clock speeds have hit a wall while the amount of d... » read more

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Knowledge Centers
Entities, people and technologies explored

Shift Left Is The Tip Of The Iceberg

A transformative change is underway for semiconductor design and EDA. New languages, models, and abstractions will need to be created.

by Brian Bailey

Partitioning In The Chiplet Era

Understanding how chiplets interact under different workloads is critical to ensuring signal integrity and optimal performance in heterogeneous designs.

by Ann Mutschler

3.5D: The Great Compromise

Pros and cons of a middle-ground chiplet assembly that combines 2.5D and 3D-IC.

by Ed Sperling

AI’s Role In Chip Design Widens, Drawing In New Startups

Focus is on letting engineers do much more with the same or fewer resources — and less drudgery.

by Karen Heyman

Key Technologies To Extend EUV To 14 Angstroms

Alongside high-NA EUV will be better-performing photoresists, reduced roughness using passivation and etch, and lateral etching to reduce tip-to-tip dimensions.

by Laura Peters

Memory Fundamentals For Engineers

eBook: Nearly everything you need to know about memory, including detailed explanations of the different types of memory; how and where these are used today; what's changing, which memories are successful and which ones might be in the future; and the limitations of each memory type.

by The SE Staff

What Comes After HBM For Chiplets

The standard for high-bandwidth memory limits design freedom at many levels, but that is required for interoperability. What freedoms can be taken from other functions to make chiplets possible?