As of today, DDR4 are targeting server, networking and consumer applications, and it will take another year before we use DDR4 equipped PC at home. In fact, a majority of consumers will rather buy a smartphone or tablet than a PC, most of these devices coming with PLDDR2 and only a few high-end tablets are equipped with LPDDR3 memory.… Read More
Electronic Design Automation
SemiWiki Job Forum
As Dan has mentioned, SemiWiki has added a Job Forum in an effort to help fit qualified people to jobs around the fabless semiconductor ecosystem. A quick survey of companies working with SemiWiki revealed over 1,000 job openings planned for 2014 and finding the right people for those positions is something we can help with.
Dan … Read More
PreEDAC Mixer
Get together with your fellow industry peers and insiders at the monthly EDAC Mixer, to the benefit of local charities. You don’t need to donate anything, you just show up and pay for your own drinks. A portion of the proceeds will go to local charities, this month to the Mountain View Educational Foundation (MVEF), a volunteer… Read More
RTL Sign-off – At an Edge to become a Standard
Ever since I have seen Atrenta’s SpyGlass platform providing a comprehensive set of tools across the semiconductor design paradigm, I felt the need for a common set of standards to evolve for sign-off at RTL level. Last December, when I read an EE Times articleof Piyush Sancheti, VP, Product Marketing at Atrenta, where he talks … Read More
Power and Thermal Modeling Approach for Embedded and Automotive using ESL Tools
Did you know that an S-class Mercedes Benz can use 100 microprocessor-based electronic control units (ECUs) networking throughout the vehicle that run 20-100 million lines of code (Source: IEEE)?
2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA
Here’s a quick list of all the places that you will find software controlling hardware in an automobile:… Read More
Update on a Space-Based Router for IC Design
When I started my IC design career back in 1978 all IC routing was done manually, today however we have many automated approaches to IC routing that save time and do a more thorough job than manual routing. To get an update on space-based routers for IC design I connected with Yuval Shay at Cadence today. The basic idea behind a spaced-based… Read More
Getting the best from MIPI IP Toolbox
The set of MIPI specifications has severely enlarged during the past year. This is a positive point, as the large set of specifications induces a wider choice, and a chip maker can decide to implement a complex specification to differentiate with competitors, or select a specification just tailored to support a basic architecture… Read More
Untangling snags earlier and reducing area by 10%
The over 20 years of experience behind Synopsys Design Compiler is getting a new look for 2014, and we had a few minutes with Priti Vijayvargiya, director of product marketing for RTL synthesis, to explore what’s in the latest version of the synthesis tool.
Previewed today, Synopsys Design Compiler 2013.12 continues to target … Read More
First Verdi Interoperability Apps Developer Forum
Way back when SpringSoft was still SpringSoft and not Synopsys they launched Verdi Interoperability Apps (VIA) and an exchange for users to share them open-source style. I wrote about it back in 2011 when it was announced. Today, Synopsys announced the first developer forum for VIA. It will be held at SNUG on Wednesday, March 26,… Read More
If requirements ask for it, it had better be there
Engineers are known for their attention to detail and precision in thinking, but sometimes still struggle during compliance audits. This is especially true the longer a list of requirements becomes, especially unstructured lists kept in spreadsheets and on Post-It notes.
It gets even more complicated, because in defense circles… Read More
Rapidus, IBM, and the Billion-Dollar Silicon Sovereignty Bet