Low-Power IC Design Without Compromise


In the process of creating ICs, the digital implementation stage is focused on meeting the performance, power, and area (PPA) targets defined for the design. Traditionally, when talking about PPA metrics, “performance” has been the primary focus, with power and area recovered where possible, after meeting timing. But as designs have moved to smaller, more advanced process nodes, and as s... » read more

What Makes RISC-V Verification Unique?


Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss the verification of RISC-V processors with Pete Hardee, group director for product management at Cadence; Mike Eftimakis, vice president for strategy and ecosystem at Codasip; Simon Davidmann, founder and CEO of Imperas Software; Sven Beyer, program manager for processor verification at Siemens EDA; Kiran Vittal, senior director of alliances partner... » read more

A Hierarchical And Tractable Mixed-Signal Verification Methodology For First-Generation Analog AI Processors


Artificial intelligence (AI) is now the key driving force behind advances in information technology, big data and the internet of things (IoT). It is a technology that is developing at a rapid pace, particularly when it comes to the field of deep learning. Researchers are continually creating new variants of deep learning that expand the capabilities of machine learning. But building systems th... » read more

Blog Review: March 8


Synopsys' Rahul Thukral and Bhavana Chaurasia find that embedded MRAM is undergoing an uplift in utilization for low-power, advanced-node SoCs thanks to its high capacity, high density, and ability to scale to lower geometries. Siemens EDA's Chris Spear dives into the UVM Factory with a look at the  SystemVerilog Object-Oriented Programming concepts behind the factory. Cadence's Veena Pa... » read more

Test Challenges Mount As Demands For Reliability Increase


An emphasis of improving semiconductor quality is beginning to spread well beyond just data centers and automotive applications, where ICs play a role in mission- and safety-critical applications. But this focus on improved reliability is ratcheting up pressure throughout the test community, from lab to fab and into the field, in products where transistor density continues to grow — and wh... » read more

Automotive IoT Security By Design


A good example of the wider adoption and application of IoT devices is in automotive uses. It’s a growing market, with the worldwide number of IoT-connected devices projected to increase to 43 billion by 2023, an almost threefold increase from 2018. The modern vehicles that host so many IoT devices are increasingly connected—for cellular over-the-air updates, but also potentially to comm... » read more

Auto Cyberattacks Becoming More Widespread


As vehicles become smarter, more complex, and increasingly connected, they also become more prone to cyberattacks. The challenge now is to keep pace with hackers, who are continually devising new and innovative ways to attack both software and hardware in vehicles. Recent statistics bear this out. In 2022, there was a big spike in deep/dark web activity and incidents related to application p... » read more

Designing for Data Flow


Movement and management of data inside and outside of chips is becoming a central theme for a growing number of electronic systems, and a huge challenge for all of them. Entirely new architectures and techniques are being developed to reduce the movement of data and to accomplish more per compute cycle, and to speed the transfer of data between various components on a chip and between chips ... » read more

Design Challenges And Opportunities For Electric Powertrain With Vehicle Autonomy


According to recent studies, nearly 25% of all miles driven in the United States could be shared autonomous electrical vehicles (SAEVs) by 2030. Electric powertrain is indispensable for autonomous vehicles as it offers a) higher fuel efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions, b) an easier platform to support drive-by-wire systems needed for vehicle autonomy, and c) as battery prices keep dropping sh... » read more

Blog Review: March 1


Siemens EDA's Chris Spear explains the UVM Factory and how it can facilitate collaboration by enabling injection of new features without affecting your team. Cadence's Paul McLellan looks at efforts to ensure chiplets from different companies work together, particularly when the creating companies didn't pre-plan for those specific chiplets to work together, as well as the problems of failur... » read more

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