Analyzing Cortex-A53 octa-core on Linux

Analyzing Cortex-A53 octa-core on Linux
by Don Dingee on 11-17-2014 at 3:00 pm

Octa-core sells smartphones and tablets. 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 implementations are available from Huawei, MediaTek, Qualcomm, Samsung, and now Marvell, with Rockchip and others on the way. Suddenly, almost everyone planning to run Linux is being asked for octa-core designs.

If it were easy, anyone could do it. Increasing … Read More


Money for data and your MEMS for free

Money for data and your MEMS for free
by Don Dingee on 11-10-2014 at 12:00 am

An ongoing IoT debate centers on the notion that just because we can do something does not mean we should. From discussions at the recent MEMS Executive Congress, looking at what TSMC and some others see as the endgame for a trillion sensors signals possible trouble ahead.… Read More


MQTT not IoT “god protocol”, but getting closer

MQTT not IoT “god protocol”, but getting closer
by Don Dingee on 11-05-2014 at 12:00 pm

One protocol, and its descendants, drove the success of the World Wide Web. IP, or Internet Protocol, is the basis of every browser connection and the backbone of IT data centers. Some assumed that the Internet of Things would follow suit,… Read More


GNSS, dead reckoning, and MEMS IMUs

GNSS, dead reckoning, and MEMS IMUs
by Don Dingee on 10-31-2014 at 4:00 pm

GNSS is a wonderful invention, and low cost receivers have crept into smartphones and other mobile devices. However, GNSS does not solve all problems, especially in urban environments. The canyon effect blocks signals at street level between tall buildings, and signals do not penetrate to the interior of parking garages, tunnels,… Read More


G.fast on the copper quick road for broadband

G.fast on the copper quick road for broadband
by Don Dingee on 10-28-2014 at 3:00 pm

After a four year gestation period typical of global communications standards, G.fast has reached the point where chipset makers can implement parts against stable specifications. Formal approval of the physical layer spec, G.9701, is expected by the end of 2014. G.9700, dealing with power spectral density issues, was approved… Read More


3 reasons to focus on hardware dependent software

3 reasons to focus on hardware dependent software
by Don Dingee on 10-25-2014 at 4:00 pm

Why is software for modern SoCs so blasted expensive to develop? One reason is more software is being developed at the kernel layer – hardware dependent software, or HdS. Application software often assumes the underlying hardware, operating system, communication stacks, and device drivers are stable. For HdS, this flawed assumption… Read More


i.am, I said

i.am, I said
by Don Dingee on 10-20-2014 at 4:00 pm

The tie between rock artists and technology isn’t new. One of the first prominent rockers-turned-entrepreneurs is Tom Scholz of Boston, an engineer who has a couple MIT degrees and several patents to his name. Neil Young is currently out with Pono, attempting to make a higher-resolution audio format based on FLAC encoding to get… Read More


Did we forget non-volatile memory?

Did we forget non-volatile memory?
by Don Dingee on 10-15-2014 at 7:00 pm

In our rush to shrink SoC nodes more and more to achieve better performance and more complex devices, we may have forgotten a passenger in the back seat: non-volatile memory. There has been little discussion of this in the pages of SemiWiki until now. Let’s give it a closer look.

Embedded flash has usually been associated with microcontrollers,… Read More


NoC resilience protects end-to-end

NoC resilience protects end-to-end
by Don Dingee on 10-13-2014 at 4:00 pm

Protecting memory with ECC but leaving the rest of an SoC uncovered is like having a guard dog chained up in the back corner of your yard. If the problem happens to be in that particular spot, it’ll be dealt with, otherwise there will be a lot of barking but little actual protection.

Similarly, adding a safety-capable processor like… Read More


A de-parallel universe for Windows 10

A de-parallel universe for Windows 10
by Don Dingee on 10-03-2014 at 7:00 am

It was CES 2011 when Steve Ballmer sweatered up and pitched the coming universe according to Microsoft, where the same Windows base would run on everything – PC, phone, tablet, and game console. Getting from that visionary statement to Windows 10 hasn’t been a smooth ride.… Read More