Yield Analysis is a Critical Driver for Profitability

Yield Analysis is a Critical Driver for Profitability
by Daniel Nenni on 09-20-2017 at 7:00 am

One of the most important aspects of any manufacturing effort is the yield of the process. Today, the investment in facilities, equipment and materials is so high that consistently high yields are vital to the profitability of the semiconductor manufacturer. Furthermore, the engineers must get to that consistent high yield … Read More


ATopTech is Back!

ATopTech is Back!
by Daniel Nenni on 09-18-2017 at 7:00 am

One of the biggest surprises at the TSMC OIP Forum last week was the reappearance of bankrupt EDA vendor ATopTech. I spoke with former ATopTech CEO and now Avatar IS President Jue-Hsien Chern at OIP. As a survivor of several EDA legal battles myself, I understand what ATopTech went through and I am thoroughly impressed that they had… Read More


TSMC OIP and the Insatiable Computing Trend!

TSMC OIP and the Insatiable Computing Trend!
by Daniel Nenni on 09-14-2017 at 12:00 am

This year’s OIP was much more lighthearted than I remember which is understandable. TSMC is executing flawlessly, delivering new process technology every year. Last year’s opening speaker, David Keller, used the phrase “Celebrate the way we collaborate” which served as the theme for the conference. This year David’s… Read More


QCOM vs Apple and Everyone Else!

QCOM vs Apple and Everyone Else!
by Daniel Nenni on 09-11-2017 at 7:00 am

Having worked with Qualcomm in many different capacities during my career I can tell you there are some amazing people in and around that company. I am always positive when people I know are considering working there and QCOM people who leave are an easy reference for other jobs. Unfortunately, I lost respect for the QCOM higher ups… Read More


Solido Debuts New ML Tool at TSMC OIP!

Solido Debuts New ML Tool at TSMC OIP!
by Daniel Nenni on 09-08-2017 at 7:00 am

The TSMC OIP Ecosystem Forum is upon us and what better place to debut a new tool to prevent silicon failures. Solido Design Automation just launched its latest tool – PVTMC Verifier – and will be demonstrating it in their booth at OIP. This is the third product that was developed within its Machine Learning Labs and is… Read More


CTO Interview: Ty Garibay of ArterisIP

CTO Interview: Ty Garibay of ArterisIP
by Daniel Nenni on 09-06-2017 at 12:00 pm

ArterisIP has been a SemiWiki subscriber since the first year we went live. Thus far we have published 61 Arteris related blogs that have garnered close to 300,000 visits making Arteris and NoC one of our top attractions, absolutely.

One of the more newsworthy announcements this week is the addition of Ty Garibay to the Arteris executiveRead More


Breakfast with Aart de Geus and the Foundries!

Breakfast with Aart de Geus and the Foundries!
by Daniel Nenni on 09-06-2017 at 7:00 am

Being the number one EDA and the number one IP company does have its advantages and the resulting foundry relationships are a clear example. One of the DAC traditions that I truly enjoy is the Synopsys foundry breakfasts. Not only does Synopsys welcome scribes, they reserve a table up front for us and Synopsys CEO Aart de Geus has been… Read More


CEO Interview: Michel Villemain of Presto Engineering, Inc.

CEO Interview: Michel Villemain of Presto Engineering, Inc.
by Daniel Nenni on 09-04-2017 at 7:00 am

One of the many advantages of being part of SemiWiki is the interesting people we get to meet. As I have mentioned before, the semiconductor industry is home to many brilliant and successful people and Dr. Michel Villemain is certainly one of them. Michel is the founder and CEO of Presto Engineering and it is interesting to note that… Read More


Apple iPhone Super Cycle Update!

Apple iPhone Super Cycle Update!
by Daniel Nenni on 09-01-2017 at 7:00 am

In 2014 Apple released the iPhone 6 which included the first SoC built on a TSMC (20nm) process. This phone started what many call a “Super Cycle” of people upgrading. According to Apple, they now have more than 1 billion activated devices so this super cycle could be seriously super, absolutely.… Read More


High Bandwidth Memory ASIC SiPs for Advanced Products!

High Bandwidth Memory ASIC SiPs for Advanced Products!
by Daniel Nenni on 08-30-2017 at 7:00 am

When someone says, “2.5D packaging” my first thought is TSMC and my second thought is Herb Reiter. Herb has more than 40 years of semiconductor experience and he has been a tireless promoter of 2.5D packaging for many years. Herb writes for and works with industry organizations on 2.5D work groups and events at conferences… Read More