No area of electronics is moving faster than automotive semiconductors. Everyone has been talking about the increasing electronics content of automobiles for decades. With Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) and autonomous driving becoming a reality the pace has picked up even more. These new designs combine just about… Read More
Author: Tom Simon
Newer cryptocurrencies highlight need for agile mining strategies
Cryptocurrencies represent a radical departure from traditional forms of money. Currencies like Bitcoin, Etherium and Monero offer many unique advantages over traditional currencies, and are changing how money is created and used. Bitcoin, the pioneer of cryptocurrencies, relies on pure computational power for so-called… Read More
PCIe 5.0 Jumps to the Fore in 2019
2019 will be a big year for PCIe. With the approval of version 0.9 of the Base Layer for PCIe 5.0, implementers have a solid foundation to begin working on designs. PCIe 4.0 was introduced in 2017, before that the previous PCIe 3.0 was introduced in 2010 – ages ago in this industry. In fact, 5.0 is so close on the heels of 4.0, many products… Read More
eSilicon Expands Expertise in 7nm
At SemiWiki we usually don’t write about the press releases we are sent. However, a recent press release by eSilicon caught my eye and prompted me to call Mike Gianfagna, eSilicon Vice President of Marketing. The press release is not just about one thing, rather it focuses on a number of interesting things that together show their… Read More
Low Power SRAM Complier and Characterization Enable IoT Applications
If you are designing an SOC for an IoT application and looking to minimize power consumption, there are a lot of choices. However, more often than not, looking at reducing SRAM power is a good place to start. SRAMs can consume up to 70% of an IC’s power. SureCore, a leading memory IP supplier, offers highly optimized SRAM instances … Read More
Goldilocks Solution for SOC Processors
SOC designers face choices when it comes to choosing how to implement algorithms in their designs. Moving them to hardware usually offers advantages of smaller area, less power and faster processing. Witness the migration of block chain hashing from CPUs to ASICs. However, these advantages can come with trade-offs. For one, … Read More
GLOBALFOUNDRIES Talks About Enabling Development of 5G ICs
5G is in the news again. Sprint has mounted a legal challenge against ATT, claiming that ATT is misleading people into believing that they already are offering 5G. While ATT is about to start testing of 5G, they have also sent out updates that causes customer phones to display 5GE when they are still on 4G LTE systems. The truth is that… Read More
Building Better ADAS SOCs
Ever since we replaced horses in our personal transportation system, folks have been pining for cars that offer some relief from the constant need for supervision, control and management. Indeed, despite their obvious downsides, horses could be counted on to help with steering and obstacle avoidance. There are even cases when… Read More
Getting to 56G Takes The Right Stuff
During the 1940s when aerospace engineers were attempting to break the sound barrier for the first time, they were confronting a slew of new technical issues that had never been dealt with before, and in some cases never seen before. In subsonic flight airflow was predictable and well understood. In crossing the sound barrier, … Read More
How to be Smart About DFT for AI Chips
We have entered the age of AI specific processors, where specialized silicon is being produced to tackle the compute needs of AI. Whether they use GPUs, embedded programmable logic or specialized CPUs, many AI chips are based on parallel processing. This makes sense because of the parallel nature of AI computing. As a result, in… Read More
More Headwinds – CHIPS Act Chop? – Chip Equip Re-Shore? Orders Canceled & Fab Delay