The Big Shift


The number of chipmakers that truly can differentiate their products by moving to the next process node is falling, and that pool will continue to shrink even further over the next few years. Processor companies such as Intel and IBM always will benefit from scaling and architectural changes. So will GPU companies such as Nvidia, and FPGA vendors such as Xilinx, Microsemi and Altera (now par... » read more

Reprogrammable, Reprogrammable, Reprogrammable


By Alex Grove I like FPGAs. My first experience with an FPGA was my university final year project where I demonstrated BIST with four Xilinx© 3000 devices; this was before FPGAs had JTAG built in. Filling up these devices with ViewDraw schematics required many hours in front of a terminal. Fast track to today’s advances such as Xilinx UltraScale and Vivado HLx, and I hope you would agree ... » read more

Advanced Packaging Is Real. Now What?


For the past five years, it's been clear that 2.5D, fan-outs and other forms of system-in-package were on the horizon. Exactly when they would arrive no one knew. The most common prediction was that the timing would depend on when one of the big chipmakers decided to go down that route. The theory was that the remainder of the industry would follow, ecosystem issues would be sorted out—partic... » read more

ARM Cortex SoC Prototyping Platform For Industrial Applications


Modern industrial systems are faced with many key design challenges including: system complexity, real-time performance requirements, evolving standards, and rising costs. ASIC prototyping platforms, such as the Aldec HES-7, provide a platform for designers to implement and verify functionality of industrial systems at-speed prior to silicon tape-out, saving money from costly re-spins. In this ... » read more

Will The Chip Work?


As the number of possible issues mount for integrating IP into complex chips, so does the focus on solving these issues. What becomes quickly apparent to anyone integrating multiple IP blocks is that one size doesn't fit all, either from an IP or a tools standpoint. There is no single solution because there is no single way of putting IP together. Each architecture is unique, and each brings... » read more

Will The Chip Work?


IP is getting better, but the challenges of integrating it are getting worse. As the number of IP blocks in SoCs increases at each new process node, so does the difficulty of making them all work together. In some cases, this can mean extra code and a slight performance hit on power and performance. In other cases, it may require more drastic measures, ranging from a re-spin to a new archite... » read more

Board Games?


Applied Materials has elected Willem Roelandts as chairman. He succeeds Michael Splinter, who has retired from the board. Splinter, who is no longer associated with Applied Materials, served as chief executive at Applied from 2003 to 2013 and as chairman since 2009. In late April, Splinter was nominated to the board at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC). Splinter, along with ... » read more

The Week In Review: Design/IoT


Tools Cadence unveiled Genus, their next-generation RTL synthesis and physical synthesis engine incorporating a multi-level massively parallel architecture and physically aware context-generation capability. Using it for their recent PowerVR GE7800 GPU, Imagination reported a 5X improvement in turnaround time versus the previous Cadence synthesis solution with no impact on power, performance... » read more

Avago Buys Broadcom; NXP Spins Off RF Power Unit


Merger and acquisition activity continues to heat up across the semiconductor industry. On one front, Avago Technologies continues on its acquisition spree. And on another front, NXP Semiconductors is moving to spin off its RF power business. And there are other deals in the works as well, including Intel's proposed move to buy Altera. What’s driving the wave of M&A activity? The sem... » read more

The Week In Review: Design/IoT


M&A Avago appears to be on the prowl for a new acquisition. According to a Reuters report, it has made inquiries at Xilinx, Renesas and Maxim and has more than $10B to spend. Avago made a bid for Freescale earlier this year, but NXP ended up buying Freescale for $11.8B. IP Sonics unveiled the ICE-Grain Power Architecture, a power management sub-system for mainstream SoC designs that c... » read more

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