Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing

Data center, 5G security
Nvidia won approval for its Mellanox Technologies Ltd. deal from China, according to an article on Bloomberg. Mellanox chips split up and manage AI datasets for parallel processing, which can be used in data centers for computing.

Rambus has released security for 800 Gigbit Ethernet MAC (media access control) for enhanced data center and 5G infrastructure. It secures data that moves from point to point throughout a network, protecting it from denial of service, intrusion, man-in-the-middle, passive eavesdropping, and masquerading attacks, according to a press release. The 800G MACsec is compliant with IEEE 802.1ae MACsec standard.

Microsoft Azure DCsv2-Series is using Intel’s trusted foundation, a hardware-based trusted execution environment.

COVID-19
U.S.-based foundry SkyWater talks about a microfluidic MEMS device that it supplies to MGI, a medical device company that uses it for genomics sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. “SkyWater is certified to the ISO 13485 Quality Standard for Medical Devices to support the design, development and fabrication of DNA sequencing and other biochip applications in a wide range of emerging biomedical market segments. This allows us to provide this type of cutting-edge technology solution that is making an important contribution to coronavirus detection,” Thomas Sonderman, president of SkyWater Technology tells SEMI.

Automotive
Graphics in displays usually work better with GPUs but what do you do with 3D graphics in safety-critical applications such as cars? Automotive safety-critical systems require CPUs handle the safety-critical functions, but when digital dashboards, dials, clusters, cockpit domain controllers, surround-view displays, and ADAS need real time, no fault graphics, the GPU has to up its game. Imagination Technologies just released its software-driver development feature in its OpenGL SC (Safety-Critical) 2.0–compliant API for 3D graphics in automotive GPUs. OpenGL SC is the Khronos Group’s open-source standard graphics library for safety-critical applications. Using Imagination’s HyperLane technology, which partitions off the GPUs for different purposes as a hypervisor in a CPU would, developers can use non safety-critical for versions of OpenGL, OpenGL ES, Vulkan and OpenCL drivers can be used alongside safety-critical functions. The partitioning adds a layer of protection. According to a press release, “the Khronos OpenGL SC 2.0 specification defines a “safety-critical” subset of OpenGL ES 2.0 for markets requiring highly dependable, safety-related systems, as required by avionics and automotive displays. One goal of using an API that is streamlined for safety-related applications is significantly reduced safety assurance costs.” Later this year the company will be announcing fully functionally safe ASIL B compliant GPUs, says Benny Har-Even, content manager at Imagination Technologies, in a blog.

A self-driving car simulator from startup AImotive is now ISO26262 certified. Now that COVID-19 is keeping self-driving car testing off the roads (you still have to have a driver and a co-pilot to test a self-driving car), aiSim simulator can help keep the testing going, according to a press release.

Analyst firm IHS Markit revised its forecasts down for global light vehicle sales and production in 2020. China’s 2020 volume sales will be 15 percent lower than 2019. Europe’s sales will fall 24.6 percent and North America will drop 26.7 percent y/y in 2020. IHS Markit forecasts 69.6 million units will be sold worldwide this year with production falling to 69.3 million units.

IoT
Thermometers and other medical devices are hot products these days and the demand will keep up for Taiwan MCU suppliers very busy through 2nd quarter of 2020, DigiTimes reports. MCU suppliers are seeking 8-inch support from UMC, VIS and TSMC.

Intel launched its new 10th Gen Intel Core processors for IoT platforms and edge processing have up to 10 cores and 20 threads, LGA socket scalability. Some of the use cases are AI in digital signage, mobile medical imaging, casino gaming and robot designs that use computer vision.

Synopsys released a 3DIC Compiler for advanced multi-die system design that integrates Ansys’ RedHawk family of analysis capabilities with 3DIC Compiler. Developers are able to use 3D viewing to visualize 2.5D/3D package. It works Ansys’ silicon-package-PCB technology for system-level signal, power, and thermal analysis.

The Khronos Group, an industry group that manages open-source standards, released OpenCL 3.0 Provisional Specifications. OpenCL (Open Computing Language) is an open-source standard for programming code that execute across disparate platforms, such as CPUs, FPGAs, GPUs, and other hardware.

Robotics, automation
ON Semiconductor has added 25, 35, and 50 Ampere versions of Transfer-Molded Power Integrated Modules (TM-PIM) for 1200-Volt applications to its portfolio of industrial motor drive hardware. They are available in converter-inverter-brake (CIB) and converter-inverter (CI) configurations.

People & collaborations
Jeff Brubaker, infrastructure architect for Custom Compiler at Synopsys, has been elected to the Si2 OpenAccess Change Team. OpenAccess, an open-reference database for IC design, is used to create interoperability among EDA companies’ tools. Brubaker is managing Synopsys’ team for OpenAccess development.

Arm has joined incubator Silicon Catalyst as a Strategic Partner and an In-Kind Partner to help semiconductor startups, launching the Arm Flexible Access for Startups program. Arm will offer free access to its IP portfolio, tools, training and include support.

National Instruments is releasing free community editions of LabView for personal projects. “We are thrilled to encourage the power and potential of our LabVIEW community members who are involved in home and hobby projects,” said Jeff Kodosky, co-founder of NI and inventor of LabVIEW in a press release. “We created the LabVIEW Community editions so engineers could use the software for free — to pursue their personal ventures, experiment with programming ideas and create and share IP with their peers.”