Semiconductor IP Security Issues

Semiconductor IP Security Issues
by Daniel Payne on 05-26-2019 at 4:46 pm

Accellera

Every morning I read the headlines from SemiWiki, CNN, LinkedIn and my Twitter feed, and it seems like every week that I read about another security breach that makes me wonder if anything online is secure. Companies try to harden their web sites, IT infrastructure and even their electronic products from being exploited or tampered… Read More


Automotive Design and Virtual Prototyping

Automotive Design and Virtual Prototyping
by Daniel Payne on 05-25-2019 at 5:40 pm

Synopsys Auto

The entire history of EDA software tools has enabled engineers to design ICs and SoCs using virtual prototyping, so most of us in the industry are familiar with the idea of modeling and simulating something as complex as an IC before actually starting the manufacturing process. In a complex system like an automobile there are a lot… Read More


Webinar Recap: IP Life Cycle Management and Traceability

Webinar Recap: IP Life Cycle Management and Traceability
by Daniel Payne on 05-22-2019 at 10:00 am

Earlier this month I attended a webinar organized by Methodics on the topic of IP life cycle management and traceability, with three presenters and a Q&A session at the end. I’ve worked with Michael Munsey before and he was the first presenter. Semiconductor IP creation and re-use is the foundation of all modern IC designs,… Read More


Meeting Automotive IC Design Challenges for Safety using On-Chip Sensors

Meeting Automotive IC Design Challenges for Safety using On-Chip Sensors
by Daniel Payne on 05-09-2019 at 7:00 am

I’ve been driving cars since 1978 and have even done a few DIY repairs in the garage, so I know how warm the engine compartment, transmission or exhaust system can become which makes automotive IC design rather unique in terms of the high temperature and voltage ranges that an electronic component is subjected to. Our safety… Read More


Webinar: ISO 26262 Compliance

Webinar: ISO 26262 Compliance
by Daniel Payne on 05-02-2019 at 12:00 pm

To me the major idea of ISO 26262 compliance is ensuring that requirements can be traced throughout the entire design and verification process, including the use of IP blocks. The first market application that comes to mind with ISO 26262 is automotive, with its emphasis on safety because human lives are at stake. Since necessity… Read More


Deep Learning, Reshaping the Industry or Holding to the Status Quo

Deep Learning, Reshaping the Industry or Holding to the Status Quo
by Daniel Payne on 04-25-2019 at 12:00 pm

AI, Machine Learning, Deep Learning and neural networks are all hot industry topics in 2019, but you probably want to know if these concepts are changing how we actually design or verify an SoC. To answer that question what better place to get an answer than from a panel of industry experts who recently gathered at DVcon with moderator… Read More


IC Implementation Improved by Hyperconvergence of Tools

IC Implementation Improved by Hyperconvergence of Tools
by Daniel Payne on 04-23-2019 at 7:00 am

Physical IC design is a time consuming and error prone process that begs for automation in the form of clever EDA tools that understand the inter-relationships between logic synthesis, IC layout, test and sign-off analysis. There’s even an annual conference called ISPDInternational Symposium on Physical DesignRead More


DAC56 Keynotes and SKYtalks – The Big Picture

DAC56 Keynotes and SKYtalks – The Big Picture
by Daniel Payne on 04-11-2019 at 12:00 pm

Many of us have engineering degrees and are well paid to maintain a deep but narrow focus into a specific domain, but what about the big picture, like industry trends and emerging challenges? Well, DAC56 has just the thing to deliver us a front row seat to the big picture, and it’s contained in both the Keynotes and SKYtalks.… Read More


Functional Verification using Formal on Million Gate Designs

Functional Verification using Formal on Million Gate Designs
by Daniel Payne on 04-10-2019 at 12:00 pm

Verification engineers are the unsung heroes making sure that our smart phone chips, smart watches and even smart cars function logically, without bugs or unintended behavior. Hidden bugs are important to uncover, but what approach is best suited for this challenge?

With the Universal Verification Methodology (UVM) there’s… Read More


Cloud-based Functional Verification

Cloud-based Functional Verification
by Daniel Payne on 04-08-2019 at 12:00 pm

The big three EDA vendors are constantly putting more of their tools in the cloud in order to speed up the design and verification process for chip designers, but how do engineering teams approach using the cloud for functional verification tests and regressions? At the recent Cadence user group meeting (CDNLive) there was a presentation… Read More