My favorite method to learn about EDA tools at DAC is by listening to actual IC designers, so on June 3rd I heard Jacob Bakker from NXP talk about his experience with noise coupled analysis for advanced mixed-signal automotive ICs.… Read More
Author: Daniel Payne
Workshop: Embedded Applications and Kernels
Design Automation Conference Workshop on Suite of Embedded Applications and Kernels
In June, the first Suite of Embedded Applications and Kernels, or SEAK, workshop at the 2014 Design Automation Conference in San Francisco introduced a new Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program in the area of embedded system benchmarking… Read More
EDA for Power Management ICs at DAC
I first met Dundar Dumlugolat Barcelona Design back in 2004, so it was a pleasure to meet with him again at DAClast week and learn more about what his company Magwel has to offer IC designers of power management chips.… Read More
MEMS Update from DAC
DAC has an interesting mix of vendors each year, and some of them are outside of the expected digital, analog or IP space. Last Tuesday at DAC I visited a company called Coventor that has three product lines:
- MEMS+ – MEMS design and analysis tools
- CoventorWare – Modeling and simulation for MEMS devices
- SEMulator 3D–
An Update on Calibre at DAC
Even though I live just 7 miles away from the Mentor Graphics corporate office in Oregon, I visited their DAC suite in San Francisco last week to get an update on Calibrefrom Michael White. The Calibre tools are used during IC verification and sign-off by performing DRC (Design Rule Checking) and LVS (Layout Versus Schematic).… Read More
IoT Breakfast Panel at DAC
Tuesday morning at DAC I enjoyed a free breakfast courtesy of Synopsysand GLOBALFOUNDRIESwhere I learned more about the emerging market of IoT, and what it means to semiconductor, EDA and IP vendors. Panelists included: Semico Research, HP, Synopsys, GLOBALFOUNDRIES and Broadcom. … Read More
High Sigma Yield Analysis and Optimization at DAC
When I hear the phrase “high sigma” I think of the EDA vendor Solido, however at DAC on Monday I visited another EDA company called MunEDAthat has several products of interest to transistor-level IC designers. I was able to speak with three different people from MunEDA and here’s what I learned.… Read More
AMS Panel: Micronas, Infineon, AMD, STMicro
Synopsyshosted an AMS Luncheon panel today at DACin the Westin Hotel and invited four customers to talk about their actual design challenges and experiences. I’ve typed up my notes from this event.… Read More
Affordable AMS EDA Tools at DAC
First thing at DACtoday I met with Greg Lebsack of Tanner EDA to ask about what’s new in the past year for his EDA company. Here are my meeting notes, so there’s not much prose for my DAC blogs this year.
… Read More
Gary Smith at DAC
Gary Smith once again wore his signature white coat and extolled the virtues of system level design and automation. The room at the Intercontinental was packed, and the folks in the hallway outside were noisy as usual, eager for the party to start after Gary finished.… Read More











TSMC’s Patent and the Harsh Realities of 3D DRAM Competition