Granted the word “cult” can have a negative connotation, especially when applied to small religious groups but cult can also mean a great devotion to a movement or intellectual fad. Some people call Apple a cult with Apple Stores being their Churches. If you look at the lines around the block or down the mall for new product… Read More
Author: Daniel Nenni
Variation Aware FinFETs are Critical!
As I mentioned in “EDA Dead Pool” acquisitions in our industry will continue at a rapid pace. The latest victim is 10 year old French company Infiniscale who was recently purchased by Silvaco. This was more of a “let’s put your product through our massive sales and support channel” kind of deal so it will be 1 + 1 = 3 accretive for sure.… Read More
GSA Awards Dinner: Be Mindful!
The GSA Awards Dinner is the semiconductor version of the Oscars. Lights, cameras, and there is certainly plenty of action. This year there were close to 1,500 people to celebrate the semiconductor industry and all of our accomplishments so it is a networker’s paradise. Quite a few people mentioned purchasing our new book and photos… Read More
New Book: Mobile Unleashed!
This is the origin story of technology super heroes: the creators and founders of ARM, the company that is responsible for the processors found inside 95% of the world’s mobile devices today. This is also the evolution story of how three companies – Apple, Samsung, and Qualcomm – put ARM technology in the hands of billions of people… Read More
The Twists and Turns of Xilinx vs Altera!
The battle between Xilinx and Altera continues to be one of the more interesting stories to cover. It really is the semiconductor version of a reality TV show. In the beginning it was two fabless companies partnered with rival foundries going head-to-head controlling a single market that touches a variety of industries.
Then things… Read More
Double Digit Growth and 10nm for TSMC in 2016!
Exciting times in Taiwan last week… I met with people from the Taiwanese version of Wall Street. They mostly cover the local semiconductor scene but since that includes TSMC and Mediatek they are interested in the global semiconductor market as well. They also have an insider’s view of the China semiconductor industry which is … Read More
2016 EDA Dead Pool
The most commonly asked question during conference calls with Wall Street of late is in regards to the massive consolidation the semiconductor industry is experiencing. How will the consolidation affect the Foundries? How will the consolidation affect EDA and IP? How will the consolidation affect the semiconductor industry… Read More
Six Ways Your Car Can Be Hacked!
The question is not IF but WHEN your car will be hacked. How about this: You connect your smartphone to your car and malware sets off the airbags. My car has front, side, and rear airbags so that would be a very painful and expensive experience for sure. According to my mechanic this is certainly possible and it would cost more than $10,000… Read More
Intel 2015 Analyst Meeting Debunked!
Bill Holt’s “Advancing Moore’s Law” presentation at the recent Intel Analyst day was swallowed hook, line, and sinker by the mainstream media fish so let me play devil’s advocate here and point out some problems with his spin on the competitive landscape.
Coincidentally, one of my Intel friends insists that Intel is number one … Read More
The EDAC Wally Rhines Roast (video)
Last week was the EDAC Phil Kaufman award dinner. It was much more like a roast, probably because Wally has a great sense of humor and as Aart de Geus said, “Wally is a cool cat to have a beer with…” Aart is right of course, hanging with Wally is one of my favorite work things to do.
The place was lousy with media people so I will try and add some… Read More
Flynn Was Right: How a 2003 Warning Foretold Today’s Architectural Pivot