Week In Review: Design, Low Power

Cadence’s digital full flow was certified for the GlobalFoundries 12LP/12LP+ process platforms. The certified tools include the Innovus Implementation System, Genus Synthesis Solution, Tempus Timing Signoff Solution, Voltus IC Power Integrity Solution, Quantus Extraction Solution, Litho Physical Analyzer (LPA), and Pegasus Verification System.

Siemens Digital Industries Software’s Calibre nmPlatform now works with the GlobalFoundries silicon photonics platform. The GF Fotonix process design kits (PDKs) include Siemens’ Calibre nmDRC software for design rule checking and Calibre nmLVS software for layout vs. schematic verification. Both tools are fully certified by GF. The GF Fotonix platform enables combining a photonic system, RF components, and CMOS logic on a single silicon chip.

Synopsys reported second quarter 2022 financial results with revenue of $1.279 billion, up 24.9% compared to $1.024 billion in the same quarter last year. “Synopsys delivered an outstanding fiscal second quarter, exceeding our guidance targets with strength across all product groups and geographies. Based on strong first half execution and confidence in our business, we are raising our full-year targets substantially,” said Aart de Geus, chairman and CEO of Synopsys. “Notwithstanding macroeconomic choppiness in an uncertain geopolitical environment, our customers continue to prioritize investments to enable the new “smart everything” era. For fiscal 2022, we expect to grow annual revenue approximately 20% and pass the $5 billion milestone, drive further operating margin expansion, grow earnings per share by more than 25%, and generate approximately $1.6 billion in operating cash flow.”

Embedded, edge
AMD released a development platform for robotics. The Kria KR260 hardware platform provides pre-built interfaces for robotics and industrial solutions, including an integrated set of robot libraries and utilities that use hardware to accelerate the development, maintenance and commercialization of industrial-grade robotic solutions targeting Kria system-on-modules (SOMs).

Flex Logix and Roboflow are partnering to produce edge AI vision models built for the Flex Logix InferX platform, including complex models such as YOLO object detection models needed for applications such as robotic vision, industrial, security, and retail analytics. It will support building custom computer vision models, deploying them into production, and an active learning pipeline to continue improving datasets and model performance for a given outcome.

Renesas’ RA Family of 32-bit Arm Cortex-M microcontrollers has been certified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cryptographic Algorithm Verification Program (CAVP). NIST CAVP certification provides independent verification of the correct implementation of cryptographic algorithms including multiple modes of Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), hashing, Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) key generation and authentication, Key Agreement Schemes, and Deterministic Random Bit Generator (DRBG).

Infineon Technologies released a new automotive lighting solution, a dual-channel, stand-alone DC-DC controller TLD6098-2ES. The controller is capable of driving a full LED headlamp by itself without an additional microcontroller. It can also operate the LED front light high beam, low beam, daytime running lights, and turn signal functions.

Power devices
Renesas plans to restart operation its Kofu Factory in 2024 as a 300mm wafer fab capable of manufacturing power semiconductors such as IGBTs. Renesas is planning a 90 billion yen (~$704.7 million) investment in the factory, located in Kai City, Japan. “This investment enables us to have our largest wafer fabrication line dedicated to power semiconductors, which are key to realizing decarbonization. We will continue to conduct necessary investments to enhance our in-house production capability while further strengthening ties with outsource partners,” said Hidetoshi Shibata, president and CEO of Renesas. The factory was previously closed in 2014.

Infineon Technologies expanded its high-power Prime Switch family, adding the new Press Pack IGBT (PPI) with internal freewheeling diodes (FWD) in Ceramic Disc Housings. The PPI is specifically designed for transmission and distribution applications and is ideal for high current Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC), medium voltage drives, DC breakers, wind turbine converters, and traction systems.

Wireless, networking, data center
Arm shared milestones for the company’s SystemReady program, an effort launched in 2020 that aims to reduce fragmentation in the data center market by providing a formal set of compute platform definitions to cover a range of systems from the cloud to IoT and edge. The Microsoft Azure Ampere Altra Arm-based server achieved SystemReady SR certification, the first cloud solution provider server to do so. Additionally, the Azure Virtual Machines series featuring Ampere Altra Arm-based processors are the first virtual systems to be certified under the new Arm SystemReady Virtual Environment certification. “For Microsoft Azure, the SystemReady platform certification means we can easily move from one generation to another. For customers, the SystemReady Virtual Environment (VE) certification means that their software investments are preserved across multiple VM generations as well,” said Arun Kishan, technical fellow and corporate vice president, Microsoft.

Juniper Networks deployed Ansys software for power integrity signoff of its high-speed networking chips. “The software was very easy to distribute in our on-premises cloud via standard memory machines, and its advanced features were crucial in delivering more reliable networking products to market faster,” said Debashis Basu, senior vice president, engineering at Juniper Networks. Ansys’ hierarchical Chip Power Model also facilitated high-fidelity power network co-simulation of the chip and package.

Celona selected Keysight Technologies’ Open RAN Architect (KORA) solution portfolio to validate the quality and reliability of 5G private network deployments for enterprises. Celona is using the user equipment emulation (UEE) test solution to emulate real network traffic over radio and O-RAN fronthaul interfaces as well as the 5G Performance Multi-Band Vector Transceiver (VXT), a non-signaling measurement system, to accelerate the validation of sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G base stations (gNodeBs) according to the latest 3GPP specifications. Keysight also gained PTCRB Validation Group (PVG) acceptance for 5G new radio Release 16 test cases. The protocol conformance toolset enables device vendors to verify radio access capability signaling (RACS), a 3GPP Rel-16 feature that enables user equipment to efficiently signal the specific set of capabilities it supports to the network.

Intel plans to invest more than $700 million for a 200,000-square-foot research and development lab in Hillsboro, Oregon, focused on data center technologies including immersion cooling, water usage effectiveness, and heat recapture and reuse. It will also qualify and test Intel’s portfolio of data center products. The new R&D lab is expected to begin operating in 2023. The company also announced a new immersion liquid cooling solution and reference design.

Keysight Technologies reported second quarter 2022 financial results with revenue of $1.35 billion, up 11% compared to $1.22 billion in the same quarter last year. “The Keysight team delivered another strong quarter, exceeding the high end of our revenue and EPS guidance. Demand for our broad-based portfolio of differentiated solutions remains strong. We executed well and successfully navigated the geopolitical and supply chain challenges within the quarter,” said Satish Dhanasekaran, Keysight’s president and CEO. “Our consistent performance is a testament to our strategy, our people, and the resilience of our business, and gives us confidence in our raised outlook for the year.”

Quantum computing
IonQ announced its latest generation of quantum systems. A step toward the company’s idea of a software-configurable quantum computer, Forte systems can have up to 32 qubits and use acousto-optic deflector (AOD) technology, which allows IonQ to dynamically direct laser beams that drive quantum gates towards individual ions. The AOD is designed to minimize noise and overcome variations in ion position, improving fidelity in long chains of trapped ions.

Brookhaven National Laboratory is building a new facility for research in the field of quantum communication networks. Part of the facility is a 98 mile quantum network between Brookhaven Lab and Stony Brook University. “One of the key aspects of this facility is that it provides the ability to integrate these quantum hardware building blocks with existing real-life inter-city fibers and characterize their performance once they are integrated with the current internet,” said Julian Martinez-Rincon, scientist in the Brookhaven Lab Instrumentation Division’s Quantum Systems group. “The goal of these efforts is to perform long-distance entanglement experiments targeted at implementing new scientific applications such as distributed quantum sensing and computing, as well as to develop algorithms and protocols to remotely control a regional quantum internet testbed.”

Find more of the week’s news at Manufacturing, Test and Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing.

Read the latest Low Power-High Performance and Systems & Design newsletters for more on embedded software changes, what industry CEOs think of geopolitical impacts, DRAM decisions, and optimizing architectures for workloads.