I have been saying for years, ever since I started working at VaST, the biggest barrier to adoption of virtual platform technology for what I like to call virtualized software development is the availability of models. If models do not already exist when they are needed there are two issues: it takes money to develop them but, probably… Read More
Electronic Design Automation
DFM at SPIE Advance Litho show
This year’s SPIE Advanced Lithography is loaded with interesting keynotes and sessions. To help me narrow down what to see, I spoke with John Sturtevant. John is co-chair of the Design for Manufacturability through Design-Process Integration conference, and the director for technical marketing for RET products at Mentor Graphics.… Read More
DVCon: Hardware/software Co-design from a Software Perspective
The EDAC Emerging Companies Comittee (would that be the EDACECC?) is organizing a free panel session one evening at DVCon. It is Monday February 27th from 6pm to 8.30pm. I don’t yet have a room but it will be at the DoubleTree Hotel where DVCon is being held.
EDA companies often address hardware/software co-design from a hardware… Read More
Virtuoso has got you cornered
Things you don’t know about Virtuoso: we’ve got you cornered.
That is the title on a Cadence blog item last week. It is actually about variability and how to create various corners for simulation and analysis, but given Cadence’s franchise for Virtuoso, its lock-in through SKILL-based PDKs and so forth, it … Read More
Synopsys latest acquisitions: ExpertIO (VIP) and Inventure (IP)… Any counter-attack from Cadence?
Even if ExpertIO acquisition by Synopsys, coming after nSys acquisition a couple of months ago, will not have a major impact on Synopsys’ balance sheet, it will again change the Verification IP market landscape. The acquisition of Inventure, a subsidiary of Zuken, will have a major impact on the Interface IP market, even if it’s… Read More
DVCon: Formal Verification with lunch
At DVCon on Thursday March 1st (St David’s day for any Welsh readers) Jasper is sponsoring lunch from 12pm to 1.30pm. It will take place in the Cascade/Sierra ballrooms.
During lunch there will be a panel discussion Formal Verification from Users’ Perspectives with real users no how they mitigate risk in their designs… Read More
Using "Apps" to Take Formal Analysis Mainstream
On my last graphics chip design at Intel the project manager asked me, “So, will this new chip work when silicon comes back?”
My response was, “Yes, however only the parts that we have been able to simulate.”
Today designers of semiconductor IP and SoC have more approaches than just simulation to ensure… Read More
Design & Verification of Platform-Based, Multi-Core SoCs
Consumer electronics is a new driver in our global semiconductor economy as we enjoy using Smart Phones, Tablets and Ultra Books. The challenge of designing and then verifying the electronic systems to meet the market windows is a daunting one. Instead of starting with a blank sheet for a new product, most electronic design companies… Read More
3D Standards
At DesignCon this week there was a panel on 3D standards organized by Si2. I also talked to Aveek Sarkar of Apache (a subsidiary of Ansys) who is one of the founding member companies of the Si2 Open3D Technical Advisory Board (TAB), along with Atrenta, Cadence, Fraunhofer Institute, Global Foundries, Intel, Invarian, Mentor, Qualcomm,… Read More
The Future of Lithography Process Models
Always in motion is the future. ~Yoda
For nearly ten years now, full-chip simulation engines have successfully used process models to perform OPC in production. New full-chip models were regularly introduced as patterning processes evolved to span immersion exposure, bilayer resists, phase shift masking, pixelated illumination… Read More
Selling the Forges of the Future: U.S. Report Exposes China’s Reliance on Western Chip Tools