Launching high technology product on the semiconductor market after your competitors is not necessarily a weakness. NetSpeed has developed NocStudio, a front end optimization design tool helping architects to create SoC architecture bridging the gap with the back end, floor planning and place and route. Created about 20 years… Read More
Author: Eric Esteve
I want to use USB Type C (and I want it now)
USB is certainly the most ubiquitous of the Interface protocols, used in our day to day life to connect multiple systems, as well as in professional segments like industrial or even high performance servers (yes, these systems integrates USB 3 connections). But USB is also one of the protocols able to generate frustration every… Read More
UTBB SOI can scale down to 5nm says Skotnicki…
…and FinFET down to 3nm. This assertion is the result of extensive research work made by Thomas Skotnicki, ST Fellow and Technical VP, Disruptive Technologies, leading to numerous publications, like in 1988 in IEEE EDL or in 2008 in IEEE TED paper. I say extensive, I should also say long, very long, as it took almost 30 years for the… Read More
NetSpeed NoC IP or Architectural Synthesis Company?
When you look at NetSpeed’s NocStudio design tool, you first think “I see, NetSpeed is a new Network-on-Chip (NoC) IP company”. Are you wrong? Yes and no… No because NocStudio indeed generates a NoC. Yes, because the company objectives are going much farther than simply deliver a new NoC solution. According with Sundari Mitra, … Read More
Why Drones Love Atmel SAM E70
Avionics is by nature a mature market, requiring the use of validated system solution: safety is an absolute requirement, innovative systems require stringent qualification phase. That’s why the very fast adoption of drones as alternative solution for human piloted planes is impressive. It took 10 years or so for drones to be… Read More
Which High B/W Memory to Select after DDR4?
Once upon a time, RAM technology was the driver of the semiconductor process. DRAM products were the first to be designed on a newest technology node and DRAM was used as a process driver. It was 30 years ago and the most aggressive process nodes were ranging between 1um and 1.5 um (1 500 nm!). Then in the 1990 the Synchronous Dynamic … Read More
Why Automotive IP Portfolio is not just IP
Synopsys is launching a broad IP portfolio to support SoC development dedicated to emerging automotive complexes functions, like Driver Assistance (ADAS), Driver Information, Vehicle Network or Infotainment. I was never involved into IC design for Automotive, but I have designed ASIC for avionics (CFM56 motor control) or… Read More
GlobalFoundries Endorse ST/LETI FD-SOI 22nm!
The LETI days and the associated FD-SOI workshop took place in Grenoble (France) last week and I could not attend in person… but I had the opportunity to speak with LETI CEO Marie Semaria. Before going into details into the 3 key messages from the LETI (FD-SOI, Silicon Impulse and Cool Cube), it’s important to share the great news from… Read More
More about “MIPI beyond Mobile” Paper at DAC
The “MIPI Beyond Mobile” paper has been presented during the 52th DAC in San Francisco and I can share the key findings with Semiwiki readers. This paper has been written to synthesize certain results of the “MIPI Ecosystem Survey-2015” and evaluate the impact on the MIPI IP sales in the future. At first the MIPI Ecosystem has really… Read More
Why is Intel going inside Altera for Servers?
You should be happy to listen that Intel will buy Altera FPGA challenger, if you expect always more power to be consumed in datacenter! In 2013 the power consumption linked with the Servers and Storage IC activity, plus the electricity consumed in the systems cooling these high performance chips has reached 91 BILLION KWh (or the… Read More
More Headwinds – CHIPS Act Chop? – Chip Equip Re-Shore? Orders Canceled & Fab Delay