DDR PHY Training

By Ed Sperling - 21 Apr, 2020 - Comments: 0

Brett Murdock, senior product marketing manager at Synopsys, explains how to train the DRAM physical layer using firmware, why that is so important for flexibility, and what kinds of issues engineers encounter when using this approach. » read more

Die-to-Die Connectivity With High-Speed SerDes PHY IP

By Manuel Mota - 12 Mar, 2020 - Comments: 0

Hyperscale data center, artificial intelligence (AI), and networking SoCs have become more complex with advanced functionalities and have reached maximum reticle sizes. Designers are partitioning such SoCs in smaller modules requiring ultra- and extra-short reach links for inter-die connectivity with high data rates. The die-to-die connectivity must also ensure reliable links with extremely low... » read more

High-Performance Memory For AI And HPC

By Ed Sperling - 09 Mar, 2020 - Comments: 0

Frank Ferro, senior director of product management at Rambus, examines the current performance bottlenecks in high-performance computing, drilling down into power and performance for different memory options, and explains what are the best solutions for different applications and why. » read more

Accelerating Chiplets With 112G XSR SerDes PHYs

By Nhat Nguyen - 31 Oct, 2019 - Comments: 0

The fading of Moore’s Law and an almost exponential increase in data is challenging the semiconductor industry as never before. Indeed, zettabytes of data are constantly generated by a wide range of devices including IoT endpoints such as vehicles, wearables, smartphones and appliances. Moreover, sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) applications are adding new ... » read more

Pushing Memory Harder

By Brian Bailey - 14 Oct, 2019 - Comments: 4

In an optimized system, no component is waiting for another component while there is useful work to be done. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the processor/memory interface. Put simply, memory cannot keep up. Accessing memory is slow, and it can consume a significant fraction of the power budget. And the general consensus is this problem is not going away anytime soon, despite effort... » read more

Why DRAM Won’t Go Away

By Ed Sperling - 18 Sep, 2019 - Comments: 0

Semiconductor Engineering sat down to talk about DRAM's future with Frank Ferro, senior director of product management at Rambus; Marc Greenberg, group director for product marketing at Cadence; Graham Allan, senior product marketing manager for DDR PHYs at Synopsys; and Tien Shiah, senior manager for memory marketing at Samsung Electronics. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. Part ... » read more

112G XSR And LR SerDes PHYs

By Rambus - 01 May, 2019 - Comments: 0

The virtuous cycle of increased computing power enabling new applications which demand more computing power continues unabated. Today, applications spanning AI, autonomous vehicles, video streaming, AR and VR all demand more bandwidth, lower latencies and higher speeds. In response, the SoCs powering the terabit routers and switches at the heart of the network must run even faster. The upgrade ... » read more

IP Requires System Context At 6/5/3nm

By Ann Mutschler - 01 May, 2019 - Comments: 0

Driven by each successive generation of semiconductor manufacturing technology, complexity has reached dizzying levels. Every part of the design, verification and manufacturing is more complicated and intense the more transistors are able to be packed onto a die. For these reasons, the entire system must be taken into consideration as a whole – not just as individual building blocks as could ... » read more

GDDR6 – HBM2 Tradeoffs

By Ed Sperling - 10 Apr, 2019 - Comments: 0

Steven Woo, Rambus fellow and distinguished inventor, talks about why designers choose one memory type over another. Applications for each were clearly delineated in the past, but the lines are starting to blur. Nevertheless, tradeoffs remain around complexity, cost, performance, and power efficiency. Related Video Latency Under Load: HBM2 vs. GDDR6 Why data traffic and bandw... » read more

The Promise Of GDDR6 And 7nm

By Frank Ferro - 14 Feb, 2019 - Comments: 1

Research Nester, a market research and consulting firm, estimates that the “global market of computer graphics may witness a remarkable growth and reach at the valuation of $215.5 billion by the end of year 2024.” Plus, it says this market is expected to grow at a significant compound annual growth rate or CAGR of 6.1% over the forecast period 2017 to 2024. Computer graphics is just the ... » 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

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?

by Brian Bailey

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

Why Small Fab And Assembly Houses Are Thriving

Megafabs churning out the most advanced processors are not the only game in town.

by Bryon Moyer

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