Not All There: Heterogeneous Multiprocessor Design Tools


The design, implementation, and programming of multicore heterogeneous systems is becoming more common, often driven by the software workloads, but the tooling to help optimize the processors, interconnect, and memory are disjointed. Over the past few years, many tools have emerged that help with the definition and implementation of a single processor, optimized for a given set of software. ... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


AMD plans to spend $135 million in Ireland over four years to boost its adaptive computing segment, formerly Xilinx. The investment will fund R&D projects for next generation AI, data center, networking, and 6G communications infrastructure. The company will also add up to 290 engineering and research positions. Argonne National Laboratory installed the final blade of its Aurora supercom... » read more

(Vision) Transformers: Rise Of The Chimera


It’s 2023 and transformers are having a moment. No, I’m not talking about the latest installment of the Transformers movie franchise, "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts"; I’m talking about the deep learning model architecture class, transformers, that is fueling anticipation, excitement, fear, and investment in AI. Transformers are not so new in the world of AI anymore; they were first ... » read more

Programming Processors In Heterogeneous Architectures


Programming processors is becoming more complicated as more and different types of processing elements are included in the same architecture. While systems architects may revel in the number of options available for improving power, performance, and area, the challenge of programming functionality and making it all work together is turning out to be a major challenge. It involves multiple pr... » read more

Software-Defined Hardware Architectures


Hardware/software co-design has been a goal for several decades, but success has been limited. More recently, progress has been made in optimizing a processor as well as the addition of accelerators for a given software workload. While those two techniques can produce incredible gains, it is not enough. With increasing demands being placed on all types of processing, single-processor solutio... » read more

Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a cybersecurity warning about Chinese state-sponsored activity impacting networks across U.S. critical infrastructure. “One of the actor’s primary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) is living off the land, which uses built-in network administration tools to perform their objectives," the agency said. Hacking eff... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Cadence bought Pulsic, a U.K.-based developer of place-and-route tools for custom digital and analog. The acquisition follows a previous acquisition attempt by a Chinese firm in August 2022, which was blocked by the U.K. government. At the G7 Summit in Japan, IBM announced a 10-year, $100 million initiative with the University of Tokyo and the University of Chicago to develop a quantum-centr... » read more

IP Becoming More Complex, More Costly


Success in the semiconductor intellectual property (IP) market requires more than a good bit of RTL. New advances mandate a complete design, implementation, and verification team, which limits the number of companies competing in this market. What constitutes an IP block has changed significantly since the concept was first introduced in the 1990s. What was initially just a piece of RTL (reg... » read more

Making Tradeoffs With AI/ML/DL


Machine learning, deep learning, and AI increasingly are being used in chip design, and they are being used to design chips that are optimized for ML/DL/AI. The challenge is understanding the tradeoffs on both sides, both of which are becoming increasingly complex and intertwined. On the design side, machine learning has been viewed as just another tool in the design team's toolbox. That's s... » read more

Data Leakage Becoming Bigger Issue For Chipmakers


Data leakage is becoming more difficult to stop or even trace as chips become increasingly complex and heterogeneous, and as more data is stored and utilized by chipmakers for other designs. Unlike a cyberattack, which typically is done for a specific purpose, such as collecting private data or holding a system ransom, data leaks can spring up anywhere. And as the value of data increases, th... » read more

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