3D Connection Artifacts In PDN Measurements


Authors: Ethan Koether, Amazon; Kristoffer Skytte, John Phillips, Shirin Farrahi, Cadence; Joseph Hartman, Oracle; Sammy Hindi, Ampere Computing Inc.; Mario Rotigni, STMicroelectronics; Gustavo Blando, Istvan Novak, Samtec From a simulation stand-point, we have covered several important topics that users must consider in detail to get accurate low frequency simulation results. We investigate... » read more

Delivering High-Speed Communications: The Back Story


Back in January, I posted a blog about what it takes to deliver high-speed communication. In that post, I talked about a new test board for our high-speed 7nm 56G PAM4 & NRZ DSP-based long-reach SerDes. We collaborated with several companies to build a high-precision board that could be used to test our SerDes in a system context. At that time, we were just finishing the opening act for thi... » read more

High-Speed Communications: On The Road Again


Lately, we’ve had quite a lot of trade show participation. I discussed ISSCC last month. I will be careful right now to state that ISSCC is a technical conference and not a trade show. The organizers are quite particular about that. Nonetheless, we were invited to demonstrate our high-speed SerDes there, and we got a lot of great questions from a lot of very smart people. Since ISSCC, we�... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Tools & IP OneSpin revealed its latest formal app, Connectivity XL, providing formal connectivity checking to 7nm, multi-billion gate SoC designs. The app generates detailed connectivity specification tables from abstract connectivity specs through a dedicated checking engine that integrates structural and formal analysis to perform on-the-fly, automated abstractions. It supports verificat... » read more

High-Speed Serial Comms: Getting There Is Half The Fun


Last month I wrote about our 56G SerDes announcement – silicon validated and running in Rome at a major show. We had a great time at that show and got a lot of compliments about the quality and flexibility of our SerDes. These kinds of unfiltered, unsolicited customer comments are really what makes it all worthwhile. It was a gratifying and exciting time. This month, we’re at it again. O... » read more

Where MEMS Can Boldly Go Now


MEMS chips are being designed to go into the human body as biosensors, which will require unique packaging. And as demand grows for assisted and automated driving, MEMS devices also are finding new use cases in automotive electronics, their chief market segment prior to the millennium. Pressure sensors, such as those that monitor the air pressure in tires, remain the biggest type of [getkc i... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: March 29


Brain-inspired computing Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has purchased a brain-inspired supercomputing platform for deep learning developed by IBM Research. Based on a neurosynaptic computer chip called IBM TrueNorth, the scalable platform will process the equivalent of 16 million neurons and 4 billion synapses. It will consume the energy equivalent of a tablet computer. ... » read more

High-Speed Systems Need High-Speed Parts For Prototyping


One of the ironies of prototyping for high-speed system design using FPGAs is that in the past most FPGAs did not run at the speeds required by the end system. Many of these FPGAs today have high speed SerDes channels used for communicating with other elements of the system at close to the speeds specified by the designer. Unfortunately most of the FPGAs used for the prototyping phase of the sy... » read more

The Week In Review: Design/IoT


Mergers/Acquisitions Lattice Semiconductor agreed to pay $600 million for Silicon Image, which makes connectivity solutions for high-definition content for mobile and consumer electronics. Lattice already makes programmable connectivity solutions, so the combined IP portfolio is expected to strengthen its position in wired and wireless markets. Tools Cadence expanded the tool portfolio it ... » read more