Cadence loads up on MACs for vision with CNNs

Cadence loads up on MACs for vision with CNNs
by Don Dingee on 05-02-2016 at 4:00 pm

For vision DSP IP running convolutional neural networks (CNNs), a big driver of performance is increasing the bits processed per cycle with parallel MACs. Tom Simon did a great job in recent posts of introducing CNNs at a high level, so I’ll look at what is architecturally behind Cadence’s latest announcement: the Tensilica Vision… Read More


Webinar alert – VHDL guru says its time to move up

Webinar alert – VHDL guru says its time to move up
by Don Dingee on 04-28-2016 at 4:00 pm

Many years ago when I worked for Ed Staiano at Motorola, I learned never to use the word “comfortable” in a career context. I’m comfortable being with family and friends. This new high-back chair I sit in at my new faux-cocobolo desk (slightly distressed chalk-painted wood and industrial piping, awesome) is comfortable,… Read More


Tcl scripts and managing messages in ASIC & FPGA debug

Tcl scripts and managing messages in ASIC & FPGA debug
by Don Dingee on 04-27-2016 at 4:00 pm

Our previous Blue Pearl post looked at the breadth of contextual visualization capability in the GUI to speed up debug. Two other important aspects of the ASIC & FPGA pre-synthesis workflow are automating analysis with scripts and managing the stream of messages produced. Let’s look at these aspects… Read More


Fast Track to a reconfigurable ASIC design

Fast Track to a reconfigurable ASIC design
by Don Dingee on 04-25-2016 at 4:00 pm

Licensing IP can be a pain, especially when the vendor’s business model has front-loaded costs to get started. Without an easy way to evaluate IP, justifying a purchase may be tough. With more mid-volume starts coming for the IoT, wearables, automotive, and other application segments, it’s a growing concern. Flex… Read More


Enterprise Design Management Engineered for SoCs

Enterprise Design Management Engineered for SoCs
by Don Dingee on 04-22-2016 at 4:00 pm

In my initial look at ClioSoft’s design management system created from the ground up for the semiconductor industry, I made the opening case for managing and reusing IP across an ASIC design organization. Let’s for a moment say we agree on the need for an enterprise software package to do design management… Read More


Cross-viewing improves ASIC & FPGA debug efficiency

Cross-viewing improves ASIC & FPGA debug efficiency
by Don Dingee on 04-20-2016 at 4:00 pm

We introduced the philosophy behind the Blue Pearl Software suite of tools for front-end analysis of ASIC & FPGA designs in a recent post. As we said in that discussion, effective automation helps find and remedy issues as each re-synthesis potentially turns up new defects. Why do Blue Pearl users say their tool suite is easier… Read More


Get ready for hypergrade in automotive

Get ready for hypergrade in automotive
by Don Dingee on 04-18-2016 at 4:00 pm

With use cases expanding, the meaning of “automotive qualified” semiconductors is changing. What we’re now hearing about now is beyond the AEC-Q100 Grade 0 upper end of 150°C, while still meeting other reliability, retention, and security requirements. What does hypergrade mean for complex digital chip… Read More


Debugging is the whole point of prototyping

Debugging is the whole point of prototyping
by Don Dingee on 04-15-2016 at 4:00 pm

The prototype is obviously the end goal of FPGA-based prototyping, however success of the journey relies on how quickly defects can be found and rectified. Winning in the debug phase involves a combination of methodology, capability, and planning. Synopsys recently aired a webinar on their HAPS environment and its debug ecosystem.… Read More


Self-contained low power Wi-Fi IP for IoT apps

Self-contained low power Wi-Fi IP for IoT apps
by Don Dingee on 04-13-2016 at 4:00 pm

The emerging theme of fit-for-purpose IoT parts gained yet another perspective, this time with ARM and CEVA chiming in on a low-power Wi-Fi approach outlined in a new webinar. It was a rather unique event with an abbreviated 25-minute presentation and an extended 35-minute Q&A that added a lot of insight.… Read More


2.5D supply chain takes HBM over the wall

2.5D supply chain takes HBM over the wall
by Don Dingee on 04-11-2016 at 4:00 pm

SoC designers have hit the memory wall head on. Although most SoCs address a relatively small memory capacity compared with PC and server chips, memory power consumption and bandwidth are struggling to keep up with processing and content expectations. A recent webinar looks at HBM as a possible solution.… Read More