Synopsys ♥ FinFETs

Synopsys ♥ FinFETs
by Daniel Nenni on 03-03-2013 at 6:00 pm

FinFETs are fun! They certainly have kept me busy writing over the past year about the possibilities and probabilities of a disruptive technology that will dramatically change the semiconductor ecosystem. Now that 14nm silicon is making the rounds I will be able to start writing about the realities of FinFETs which is very exciting!… Read More


TSMC ♥ Atrenta (Soft IP Webinar)

TSMC ♥ Atrenta (Soft IP Webinar)
by Daniel Nenni on 03-02-2013 at 4:00 pm

Back in 2011, TSMC announced it was extending its IP Alliance Program to include soft, or synthesizable IP. Around that time it was also announced that Atrenta’s SpyGlass platform would be used as the sole analysis tool to verify the completeness and quality of soft IP before being admitted to the program. Since then, the … Read More


TSMC (Lincoln) vs Samsung (Clinton) vs Intel (Washington)

TSMC (Lincoln) vs Samsung (Clinton) vs Intel (Washington)
by Daniel Nenni on 02-28-2013 at 9:00 am

Usually I sleep on long flights, if not, I watch movies and read. The Lincoln movie was playing on EVA Air this week which reminded me that Abraham Lincoln was one of the greatest U.S. Presidents. If I was asked to pick a U.S. President as a spokesperson for TSMC it would be Honest Abe Lincoln. Chairman Morris Chang said it best during … Read More


Cadence ♥ ClioSoft!

Cadence ♥ ClioSoft!
by Daniel Nenni on 02-20-2013 at 5:00 pm

Taking a look at the coveted presentation slots at the CDNLive Conference next month you will see a presentation on Data Management for Mixed-Signal Designs by one of my favorite EDA companies, ClioSoft. Great software, great support, great people, and with customers that are willing to talk publicly about their tools and technology.… Read More


TSMC ♥ Cadence

TSMC ♥ Cadence
by Daniel Nenni on 02-19-2013 at 11:00 am

In a shocking move TSMC now favors Cadence over Synopsys! Okay, not so shocking, especially after the Synopsys acquisitions of Magma, Ciranova, SpringSoft, and the resulting product consolidations. Not shocking to me at all since my day job is Strategic Foundry Relationships for emerging EDA, IP, and fabless companies.

Rick… Read More


ISSCC 2013: Circuit Design Using FinFETs!

ISSCC 2013: Circuit Design Using FinFETs!
by Daniel Nenni on 02-16-2013 at 8:00 pm


One of the privilages of blogging for SemiWiki is invitations to the top conferences around the world including the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in San Francisco this week. Amazing, this conference is older than I am:

ISSCC 2013 is the 60th Conference in an incredibly long-lasting series. FollowingRead More


Aldec Delivers Leading Verification Methodologies!

Aldec Delivers Leading Verification Methodologies!
by Daniel Nenni on 02-14-2013 at 8:15 pm

For those of you who don’t know, Aldec Inc., headquartered in Henderson, Nevada, is an industry leader in Electronic Design Verification and offers a patented technology suite including: RTL Design, RTL Simulators, Hardware-Assisted Verification, ASIC Prototyping, Design Rule Checking, IP Cores, DO-254 Functional Verification… Read More


Synopsys Magma Acquisition Stock Trading Under Investigation?

Synopsys Magma Acquisition Stock Trading Under Investigation?
by Daniel Nenni on 02-12-2013 at 7:00 pm

An attorney from the Division of Enforcement at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission contacted me in regards to activity on SemiWiki. Not a great way to start a Monday! Given the parameters of the discussion and the type of questions it is undoubtedly (in my humble opinion) concerning the Synopsys acquisition of Magma.… Read More


RTL Clock Gating Analysis Cuts Power by 20% in AMD Chip!

RTL Clock Gating Analysis Cuts Power by 20% in AMD Chip!
by Daniel Nenni on 02-06-2013 at 10:00 pm

Approximately 25% of SemiWiki traffic originates from search engines and the key search terms are telling. Since the beginning of SemiWiki, “low power design” has been one of the top searches. This is understandable since the mobile market has been leading us down the path to fame and fortune. Clearly lowering the… Read More


SemiWiki Hits Major Readership Milestone!

SemiWiki Hits Major Readership Milestone!
by Daniel Nenni on 02-03-2013 at 7:00 pm


For those of you who follow SemiWiki and the fabless semiconductor ecosystem it has been a very interesting two years:

The Semiconductor Wiki Project, the premier semiconductor collaboration site, is a growing online community of professionals involved with the semiconductor design and manufacturing ecosystem. Since goingRead More