Sorting Out Next-Gen Memory

By Mark LaPedus - 22 Sep, 2016 - Comments: 8

In the data center and related environments, high-end systems are struggling to keep pace with the growing demands in data processing. There are several bottlenecks in these systems, but one segment that continues to receive an inordinate amount of attention, if not part of the blame, is the memory and storage hierarchy. [getkc id="92" kc_name="SRAM"], the first tier of this hierarchy, is... » read more

May The Cheapest Memory Win

By Ed Sperling - 11 Aug, 2016 - Comments: 4

There are a number of new memory types on the horizon. So why are we still using DRAM, SRAM and hard disk drives developed decades ago? The answer is complicated. Memory, whether it’s on-chip static RAM cache or off-chip dynamic RAM—or flash storage or spinning magnetic media—is really a stack of data storage technologies that need to work seamlessly together and with other non-memory ... » read more

The Future Of Memory

By Ed Sperling - 16 Jun, 2016 - Comments: 2

Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss future memory with Frank Ferro, senior director of product management for memory and interface IP at [getentity id="22671" e_name="Rambus"]; Marc Greenberg, director of product marketing at [getentity id="22035" e_name="Synopsys"]; and Lisa Minwell, [getentity id="22242" e_name="eSilicon"]'s senior director of [getkc id="43" kc_name="IP"] marketing.... » read more

How Many Cores? (Part 2)

By Ed Sperling - 21 Mar, 2016 - Comments: 1

New chip architectures and new packaging options—including fan-outs and 2.5D—are changing basic design considerations for how many cores are needed, what they are used for, and how to solve some increasingly troublesome bottlenecks. As reported in part one, just adding more cores doesn't necessarily improve performance, and adding the wrong size or kinds of cores wastes power. That has s... » read more

Running Out Of Energy?

By Ann Mutschler - 16 Mar, 2016 - Comments: 1

The anticipated and growing energy requirements for future computing needs will hit a wall in the next 24 years if the current trajectory is correct. At that point, the world will not produce enough energy for all of the devices that are expected to be drawing power. A report issued by the Semiconductor Industry Association and Semiconductor Research Corp., bases its conclusions on system-le... » read more

Rethinking Memory

By Ed Sperling - 16 Dec, 2015 - Comments: 3

Getting data in and out of memory is as important as the speed and efficiency of a processor, but for years design teams managed to skirt the issue because it was quicker, easier and less expensive to boost processor clock frequencies with a brute-force approach. That worked well enough prior to 90nm, and adding more cores at lower clock speeds filled the gap starting at 65nm. After that, th... » read more

Inside The MRAM

By Mark LaPedus - 17 Sep, 2015 - Comments: 0

Today, the industry is shipping various next-generation nonvolatile memory types, such as 3D NAND, MRAM and ReRAM. In fact, MRAM has been shipping for some time. To get a handle on MRAM, Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss the technology with Phillip LoPresti, president and chief executive of Everspin, a supplier of MRAMs. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. SE: Where ... » read more

Executive Insight: Charlie Cheng

By Ed Sperling - 14 Sep, 2015 - Comments: 1

Charlie Cheng, CEO of Kilopass, sat down with Semiconductor Engineering to talk about issues with current memory types and why the market is ready for disruptive approaches to reduce power and cost. SE: What's changing in the memory space? Cheng: Memory is a very important building block. It's a foundation and a commodity for a chip and for the system, but if you look at the big picture, ... » read more

The Future Of Moore’s Law

By Ed Sperling - 03 Aug, 2015 - Comments: 0

Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss the future of Moore's Law with Jan Rabaey, Donald O. Pederson distinguished professor at [getentity id="22165" comment="UC Berkeley"]; Lucio Lanza, managing director of Lanza techVentures; Subramani Kengeri, vice president of advanced technology architecture at [getentity id="22819" comment="GlobalFoundries"]; Charlie Cheng, CEO of [getentity id="2... » read more

Moore Memory Problems

By Brian Bailey - 09 Jul, 2015 - Comments: 0

The six-transistor static memory cell (SRAM) has been the mainstay of on-chip memory for several decades and has stood the test of time. Today, many advanced SoCs have 50% of the chip area covered with these memories and so they are critical to continued scaling. “The SRAM being used in modern systems is similar to the SRAM they were using in the 1970s and 1980s,” says Duncan Bremner, ch... » 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

tag: SRAM