Lately, I’ve been cataloging the number of impossible-to-verify technologies we face. All forms of machine learning and inference applications fall into this category. I’ve yet to see a regression test to prove a chip for an autonomous driving system will do the right thing in all cases. Training data bias is another interesting… Read More
Author: Mike Gianfagna
Turbo-Charge Your Next PCIe SoC with PLDA Switch IP
SemiWiki has a new IP partner, PLDA and they bring a lot to the party. Peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) is a popular high-performance data interface standard. Think GPUs, RAID cards, WiFi cards or solid-state disk (SSD) drives connected to a motherboard. The protocol offers much higher throughput than previous… Read More
Achieving Design Robustness in Signoff for Advanced Node Digital Designs
I had the opportunity to preview an upcoming webinar on SemiWiki that deals with design robustness for signoff regarding advanced node digital designs (think single-digit nanometers). “Design robustness” is a key term – it refers to high quality, high yielding SoCs that come up quickly and reliably in the target system. We all… Read More
Designing Next Generation Memory Interfaces: Modeling, Analysis, and Tips
At DesignCon 2020, there was a presentation by Micron, Socionext and Cadence that discussed design challenges and strategies for using the new low-power DDR specification (LPDDR5). As is the case with many presentations at DesignCon, ecosystem collaboration was emphasized. Justin Butterfield (senior engineer at Micron)… Read More
GLOBALFOUNDRIES Sets a New Bar for Advanced Non-Volatile Memory Technology
Whether it’s the solid-state disk in your laptop, IoT/automotive hardware or edge-based AI, embedded non-volatile memory (eNVM) is a critical building block for these and many other applications. The workhorse technology for this capability has typically been NOR flash (eFlash), but a problem looms as eFlash presents challenges… Read More
Navigating Memory Choices for Your Next Low-Power Design
Choosing a memory architecture can be a daunting task. There are many options to choose from, each with their own power, performance, area and cost profile. The right choice can make a new design competitive and popular in the market. The wrong choice can doom the whole project to failure.
Vadhiraj Sankaranarayanan, senior technical… Read More
Thermal Issues and Solutions for 3D ICs: Latest Updates and Future Prospect
At DesignCon 2020, ANSYS held a series of sponsored presentations. I was able to attend a couple of them. These were excellent events with the material delivered by talented and high-energy speakers. The DesignCon technical program has many dimensions beyond the conference tracks. One of the presentations dealt with 3D ICs.… Read More
Edge Computing – The Critical Middle Ground
Ron Lowman, product marketing manager at Synopsys, recently posted an interesting technical bulletin on the Synopsys website entitled How AI in Edge Computing Drives 5G and the IoT. There’s been a lot of discussion recently about the emerging processing hierarchy of edge devices (think cell phone or self-driving car), cloud… Read More
Bridging the Gap Between Design and Analysis
At the recent DesignCon 2020 in Santa Clara, Cadence introduced a new product, Sigrity Aurora. You won’t find a press release about this announcement. Rather, Brad Griffin, product management group director at Cadence, presented Sigrity Aurora in the theater at the Cadence booth. This one caught my eye and deserves some discussion.… Read More
IBIS-AMI Back-Channel System Optimization in Practice
I recently spent some time at DesignCon 2020 in Santa Clara. For those who haven’t attended this show in a while, you need to go. It’s no longer a small event focused on chip design. It has grown into a true system-level conference, with a broad ecosystem represented on the show floor and in the technical sessions. Ecosystem is an important… Read More
TSMC Unveils the World’s Most Advanced Logic Technology at IEDM