Programmable Chips Evolve For Shifting Needs


ICs and SoCs are utilizing a range of processing elements that allow them to optimize current workloads while hedging their bets for the future. What used to be a simple choice between an ASIC, FPGA, or DSP, has evolved into a mix of processor types and architectures, including varying levels of programmability and customization. Speed is essential, but technology is evolving so quickly that... » read more

AI Moves Out Of The Cloud And Onto The Edge


The impact of AI to date, in the cloud, is undisputed, but the question we must answer going forward is whether we can only expect more of the same or whether there is a fundamental shift looming that will change everything. Today, we will explore historical data to find patterns repeated through the ages to help us see what I will attempt to prove is imminent. A brief history of time… keepi... » read more

AI Buildout Makes HPC Simulation More Challenging


Simulations of semiconductors and systems are becoming bigger, more complex, and increasingly necessary, mirroring everything that is happening to the hardware itself — particularly in AI data centers. The move beyond monolithic chips to multi-die assemblies now requires solving some thorny multi-physics challenges, such as thermal and power delivery, which are increasingly difficult to mo... » read more

Chiplets Vs. Soft IP: Different In Almost Every Way


Chiplets serve a similar function as the soft IP widely used in chips today, but the similarities end there. While both can speed time to market and enable design teams to focus limited resources where they can best be applied, the implementation, manufacturing, test, and long-term business requirements wrought by a chiplet marketplace would be very different. Soft IP (also known as RTL IP) ... » read more

Overflowing Zoo: The Power Of Compilers


The term “model zoo” first gained prominence in the world of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) beginning in the 2016-2017 timeframe. Originally used to describe open-source public repositories of working AI models — the most prominent of which today is Hugging Face — the term has since been adopted by nearly all vendors of AI chips and licensable Neural Processors Units (... » read more

Startup Tips To Get From Seed Funding To Series A, B, C


Startups are often created by experienced engineers who figure out how to solve a technical problem they are dealing with at work, or by PhD candidates in research labs before they have even started their first full-time job. Either way, getting seed money to the tune of a few million dollars is relatively easy compared to securing further rounds of funding and achieving the company’s exit go... » read more

ONNX And Python To C++: State-Of-The-Art Graph Compilation


Nigel Drego, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Quadric, presented the “ONNX and Python to C++: State-of-the-art Graph Compilation” tutorial at this year's Embedded Vision Summit. Quadric’s Chimera general-purpose neural processor executes complete AI/ML graphs—all layers, including pre- and post-processing functions traditionally run on separate DSP processors. Read more here. » read more

Balancing Workloads In AI Processor Designs


A growing number of AI processors are being designed around specific workloads rather than standardized benchmarks, optimizing performance and power efficiency, but often with enough flexibility to adapt to future changes. While the fundamentals of matrix multiplication and software optimization still apply, those alone are no longer sufficient. Designs need to address specific data types, w... » read more

Government Funding For Chip Design Tools Spreads


Governments around the globe are starting to invest more heavily in chip design tools and related research as part of an effort to boost on-shore chip production, opening new opportunities for startups and established EDA companies. Those cash infusions, which are being doled out in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, are part of a growing recognition of the importance of design automation tools wit... » read more

Reliable Training Data Paramount To AI Model Success


AI systems are increasingly being integrated into safety- and mission-critical applications ranging from automotive to health care and industrial IoT, stepping up the need for training data that is reliable, secure, and which is generated from trusted sources. AI activity is growing exponentially, as everybody tries to figure out how to apply it to their domain, application, or workload. In ... » read more

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