Bridging the IP Divide


IP reuse enabled greater efficiency in the creation of large, complex SoCs, but even after 20 years there are few tools to bridge the divide between the IP provider and the IP user. The problem is that there is an implicit fuzzy contract describing how the IP should be used, what capabilities it provides, and the extent of the verification that has been performed. IP vendors have been trying to... » read more

Thermal Damage To Chips Widens


Heat is becoming a much bigger problem for semiconductor and system design, fueled by higher density and the increasing use of complex chips in markets such as automotive, where reliability is measured in decade-long increments. In the past, heat typically was handled by mechanical engineers, who figured out where to put heat sinks, fans, or holes to funnel heat out of a chassis. But as more... » read more

Why PCB Design Constraints Should Drive Your Design Flow


This white paper will show you how a constraint-based PCB design can optimize the PCB design process, and improve time-to-market. See how with a correct-by-design methodology you can avoid integrity problems early in the design cycle, thus avoiding production delays and additional costs caused by required rework. Learn how PADS makes constraint management easy, intuitive, and time effective ... » read more

Eight Steps For Ensuring PCB Assembly Success


So, you have invented and designed the next hit product, poised to wreak havoc with the competition and ensure continued financial success for the company for a long time into the future. Guess what though; the job is not done until the product hits the street. In between design and sales is printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing and assembly. All critical business metrics, including, cos... » read more

Three Challenges Impacting The Efficiency Of PCB Engineering Teams


We live in an era of rapidly accelerating design complexity, with designs often doubling in performance and/or capacity between board revisions. At the same time, we’re seeing a shift in the workforce, particularly in the older design markets of the United States and Europe. Finally, we live in an era where everything’s a system—the days of standalone, single-board projects are gone. Cons... » read more

Abstractions: The Good, Bad And Ugly


Raising the level of abstraction has become almost a mantra among chipmakers and tools developers. By moving the vantage point up a couple rungs on the ladder, it’s easier to see how the individual parts of a design go together, to identify problems in the design as well as fixes to problems, and it all can happen much more quickly. That’s the theory, at least. And in most cases, it’s ... » read more

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