If you’ve been following DAC general chair Anne Cirkel’s weekly blog, you know the conference program is now final. There’s much to suggest it will be a great DAC, including a record number of submissions in several content categories and a compelling lineup of keynoters. The week will start with an update on Google’s smart contact… Read More
Author: Daniel Nenni
Wireless Networks Chronicle: The Rise of LTE
Aaron Bartlett, a respected semiconductor industry executive, thinks that “Age of Mobile Data: The Wireless Journey to All Data 4G Networks” is the best book he has come across since Walter Isaacson’s biography on Steve Jobs. There is no dearth of books on wireless networks and Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology… Read More
Crossing the Chasm: From Technology to Valuable Enterprise
One of the advantages of being an independent consultant is that I get to choose who I work with and what type of projects I accept. In fact, that is why I originally started blogging, to get exposure to a wide range of topics and brand myself as a strategic semiconductor business development professional. Now rather than wasting time… Read More
Extending Moore in Silicon
A year ago many eulogized the death of Moore’s Law at 28nm due to higher prices per transistor at more advanced nodes, but now that we have celebrated the 50th anniversary let’s look ahead to technology scaling and electronic systems miniaturization for the next decade. Despite our industry’s bipolar tendencies and daunting technical… Read More
Motley Fooled by FinFETs!
There was an article on Motley Fool recently detailing Intel’s 14nm FinFETs and comparing them to TSMC. Unfortunately the author has zero semiconductor education or experience even though he writes with authority on all things semiconductor. He also has no shame in using outdated papers from conferences he did not even… Read More
A Vision for FPGA Prototyping Realized
FPGA prototyping is beginning its move to the forefront of design and verification. More and more companies are turning to this technology not only for in-circuit testing and earlier software development but also for refining, validating, and implementing chip architecture. The increases in design size and complexity as well… Read More
Advances in Nanometer Analog and Mixed Signal Design!
Mentor’s annual user group meeting at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose, CA is coming up on Tuesday, April 21[SUP]st[/SUP]. This complementary event provides a unique opportunity to share design techniques and exchange ideas with other users and experts in the design community. As you may have read I am the star of the show; moderating… Read More
TSMC Unleashes Aggressive 28nm Strategy!
The most interesting presentation at the jam-packed TSMC Symposium last week for me was “Advanced Technology Updates” by Dr. BJ Woo. Coincidentally, I met with BJ during my last visit to Fab 12. Much of what we discussed was about TSMC being more aggressive this year but I wasn’t able to really connect the dots until her presentation.… Read More
FinFET vs FDSOI – Which is the Right One for Your Design?
As a professional conference goer I can see definite trends when it comes to topics and attendance. Thus far this year I have seen a double digit increase in attendance, which is great. The question is why? Why is the fabless semiconductor ecosystem leaving the safety of their cubicles and computer screens in droves to mingle amongst… Read More
The Changing Foundry Landscape: Trends and Challenges!
This will be a year of change for the fabless semiconductor ecosystem, absolutely. Last year we were wondering how Samsung Mobile was going to compete with the China clones and other low end smart phones. We now know the answer to that question thanks to the Chipworks tear down of the Galaxy S6. SemiWiki IP expert Dr. Eric Esteve blogged… Read More
Facing the Quantum Nature of EUV Lithography