Caching intent largely hasn’t changed since we started using the concept – to reduce average latency in memory accesses and to reduce average power consumption in off-chip reads and writes. The architecture started out simple enough, a small memory close to a processor, holding most-recently accessed instructions and data … Read More
Artificial Intelligence
Glasses and Open Architecture for Computer Vision
You know that AI can now look at an image and detect significant objects like a pedestrian or a nearby car. But had you thought about a need for corrective lenses or other vision aids? Does AI vision decay over time, like ours, so that it needs increasing help to read prescription labels and identify road signs at a distance?
In fact no.… Read More
AI Chip Prototyping Plan
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with a chip designer for an AI start-up to talk about using FPGA prototyping as part of a complex silicon verification strategy. Like countless other chip designers for whom simulation alone simply does not provide sufficient verification coverage, this AI start-up also believed that… Read More
AI, Safety and the Network
If you follow my blogs you know that Arteris IP is very active in these areas, leveraging their central value in network-on-chip (NoC) architectures. Kurt Shuler has put together a front-to-back white-paper to walk you through the essentials of AI, particularly machine learning (ML) and its application for example in cars.
He… Read More
Webinar: Using Embedded FPGA to Improve Machine Learning SOCs
By its very definition, machine learning (ML) hardware requires flexibility. In turn, each ML application has its own fine grain requirements. Specific hardware implementations that include specialized processing elements are often desirable for machine learning chips. At the top of the priority list is parallel processing.… Read More
Mentor-Tanner Illuminate MEMS Sensing, Fusion
I enjoy learning and writing about new technologies closely connected to our personal and working lives (the kind you could explain to your Mom or a neighbor). So naturally I’m interested in AI, communication and security as applied to the home automation, transportation, virtual, augmented and mixed reality, industry and so… Read More
Insurers Not Ready to Discount Premiums on ADAS
Think because your new car is loaded with ADAS your insurance company should give you a break on premiums? Think again. The purpose of all those fancy features is to reduce the risk of an accident or damage to your car, either of which could be costly to your insurance company and quite possibly to you also. If you’re paying extra for … Read More
Mentor Highlights HLS Customer Use in Automotive Applications
I’ve talked before about Mentor’s work in high-level synthesis (HLS) and machine learning (ML). An important advantage of HLS in these applications is its ability to very quickly adapt and optimize architecture and verify an implementation to an objective in a highly dynamic domain. Design for automotive applications – for … Read More
Semicon West 2019 – Day 2
Tuesday July 9th was the first day the show floor was open at Semicon. The following is a summary of some announcements I attended and general observations.
AMAT Announcement
My day started with an Applied Materials (AMAT) briefing for press and analysts where they announced “the most sophisticated system they have ever released”.… Read More
AI Chip Landscape and Observations
It’s been more than two years since I started the AI chip list. We saw a lot of news about AI chips from tech giants, IC/IP vendors and a huge number of startups. Now I have a new “AI Chip Landscape” infographic and dozens of AI chip related articles (in Chinses, sorry about that :p).
At this moment, I’d like… Read More


TSMC Process Simplification for Advanced Nodes