LA Auto Show; Samsung Foundry advanced node EDA tool certs; Ford, GF partnership.
3D-ICs
Samsung Foundry released 3D-IC EDA flows approvals. 3D-ICs, which are the multi-dies stacked together and integrated into a package, are finding use in automotive, high-performance computing, and artificial intelligence systems. Samsung Foundry qualified Cadence’s 2D-to-3D native 3D partitioning flow for 3D-IC design that automates creating a memory-on-logic 3D stacking configuration, providing early PPA (power, performance, area) analysis. The flow is built into Cadence’s Integrity 3D-IC platform, which makes it possible for designers to separate memory macros and standard cells for placement on separate dies in the stack and build the connections between them.
Samsung Foundry also qualified Synopsys’ 3DIC Compiler on the foundry’s flow for integrating multiple dies used in 2.5D and 3D designs. Samsung’s 3D-IC flow is called Multi-Die Integration (MDI). “The 3D workflow has traditionally been extremely fragmented and iterative, with multiple tools and flows needed to achieve multi-die system integration, thus limiting engineering productivity,” said Shankar Krishnamoorthy, general manager and corporate staff for the Silicon Realization Group at Synopsys, in a press release. The 3DIC Compiler provides customers with “a single platform from exploration to signoff,” said Krishnamoorthy, where the compiler integrates with other Synopsys tools. Samsung Foundry also evaluated several of Siemens Digital Industries Software’s EDA tools. Ansys Redhawk SC and Totem tools were certified for the foundry’s 3nm and 4nm processes.
The Silicon Integration Initiative (Si2) launched Technology Interoperability Trajectory Advisory CouNcil (TITAN) to work on ways the semiconductor industry can work together better on the spectrum of Moore’s Law and More than Moore/3D-ICs technologies. The group, made up of Si2 member representatives, will look for technology interoperability gaps among EDA suppliers, cloud providers, foundries, semiconductor, and emerging silicon-to-system companies, and advise Si2 board of directors on technology interoperability in workflows. TITAN founding members include Ansys, Arm, Cadence, Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Qualcomm Technologies, Samsung Electronics, Siemens EDA, Silvaco, SK hynix and Synopsys.
Automotive
U.S. automaker Ford and semiconductor foundry Globalfoundries will collaborate on ways to boost a U.S.-based supply of semiconductors for Ford and the U.S. auto industry.
Siemens Digital Industries Software has added a noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) prediction application to its Simcenter prototyping tool for vehicle designers who want to estimate interior and exterior NVH before a physical prototype of the vehicle exists. The NVH application can be used for different engine types.
To help automate some functional safety certifications, Arteris IP launched a tracing system that traces chips throughout their design and manufacturing, even when disparate EDA and manufacturing systems are used. The Harmony Trace system sits on an enterprise-based server, where it can track a chip’s path through different systems, looking for and fixes issues that could hurt certifications.
Samsung Foundry also adopted Cadence’s Tempus SPICE-aging analysis along with Cadence’s Liberate Characterization and Unified Reliability Interface (URI) model to deliver a design with high long-term reliability, said Cadence in a press release. Finally, the Samsung Foundry delivered 3nm production libraries using Cadence’s Liberate Trio Characterization Suite.
BMW Group will use Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon Ride Platform for BMW Group’s automated driving program, specifically its advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving (AD) platforms.
Zero emission vehicles
GM opened its new electric vehicle (EV) factory with a cameo of U.S. President Biden driving a 2022 GMC HUMMER EV pickup. In what used to be the anathema of the climate anxious, the Hummer rebranded as an EV, built in a sustainable and “recycled” U.S. factory, may now become the guilt-free ride. In addition to the pickup, the Factory ZERO EV assembly plant will make the 2024 GMC HUMMER EV SUV, Chevrolet Silverado EV, and the Cruise Origin, an all-electric, self-driving, shared vehicle, says GM in a press release. All the EVs will be built on the same EV platform (GM’s Ultium Platform), which includes the battery-powered propulsion system, however the rest of the cars are made the same as ICE (internal combustion engine) cars, says GM. The factory is located in Detroit and Hamtramck, Michigan.
Sport utility electric vehicle (SUEV), or SUV EVs, that were unveiled at 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show media event this week included Hyundai Motor’s SEVEN concept, Fisker’s production version of its Fisker Ocean all-electric SUV. The variety of electric and zero emission vehicles has grown, as witnessed by the new awards called The ZEVAS launched at the LA Auto Show. The awards reflect opinions of consumers using the cars. The initial pool had more than 90 qualifying zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) that meet California standards and are available for sale or pre-order. The nine winners were
Hyundai launched a solar charging system concept for charging electric vehicles at home that consists of a small building with solar cells on top to charge vehicles. The system is called Hyundai Home.
Pervasive computing, 5G
Synopsys reported that its full EDA flow now has Samsung Foundry’s 4LPP (4nm Low Power Plus) process certification. 4LPP uses Samsung’s version of gate all around FETs (GAAFET) that employs a nanosheet device to overcome the physical scaling and performance limitations of the finFET architecture, said Samsung Foundry in a 2017 press release. The resulting transistor structure is called Multi Bridge Change FET (MBCFET). The process targets SoCs for use in high-performance computing, AI, and 5G infrastructure.
Renesas entered the FPGA market with its new low-cost, low-power ForgeFPGA Family systems that needs relatively small amounts of programmable logic for very low-cost systems.
Xilinx launched the Alveo U55C accelerator card for purpose-built for high-performance computing (HPC) and big data workloads.
Security
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) named Microsoft to create a secure silicon development environment on the Microsoft Azure cloud in Phase II of DOD’s sponsored project, Rapid Assured Microelectronics Prototypes (RAMP). DOD also named Qualcomm to work on the project. Tortugua Logic’s Radix software, which can find vulnerabilities in silicon designs, is a part of the RAMP effort.
The U.S. indicted two Iranians for allegedly attempting to hack U.S. voting systems.
The Synopsys Software Integrity Group found that in 3,900 tests it performed on commercial web and mobile applications in 2020, 97% of the tests found a vulnerability, 30% of which were high risk and 6% critical-risk vulnerability. Insecure data storage was the cause of 80% vulnerabilities, and insecure communications were found in 53% of the mobile tests.
Read more news at Manufacturing, Test and Design, Low Power.
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