In the old days, product architects would throw a functional block diagram “over the wall” to the design team, who would plan the physical implementation, analyze the timing of estimated critical paths, and forecast the signal switching activity on representative benchmarks. A common reply back to the architects was, “We’ve… Read More
Semiconductor Intellectual Property
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
Synopsys is First IP Provider with a Complete CXL Implementation Available
Synopsys just announced the availability of their IP solution supporting CXL (Compute Express Link). This new protocol is going to be an important component for several applications expected to be shipping starting in 2021. CXL is an alternate protocol that runs on the same physical layer as PCI Express (PCIe). Among other usages,… 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
SiFive to Host its Tech Symposium on RISC-V in Israel on September 5
There’s no question that the RISC-V ISA is revolutionizing the semiconductor ecosystem around the world. We see Israel as the epicenter of RISC-V based development and innovation in the Middle East. For the second year in a row, SiFive will be hosting its Tech Symposium on RISC-V in Israel to help foster the growth and momentum that’s… Read More
Tensilica DNA 100 Brings the AI Inference Solution for Level 2 ADAS ECUs and Level 4 Autonomous Driving
I recently wrote about Tensilica’s HiFi DSPs which played a significant role at Cadence’s Automotive Design Summit which was held on the Cadence San Jose campus at the end of July. That article focused on infotainment while briefly touching on Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS). ADAS is NOT synonymous with autopilot.… Read More
Low Power Design – Art vs. Science
I have heard many times before that low power and mixed-signal design is more Art than Science. I believe this is a misconception. Science is a field that builds upon previous experiences and discoveries. Art primarily seeks out creative differences, things we have not seen before that evoke emotion. The most successful designers… Read More
Digging Deeper in Hardware/Software Security
When it comes to security we’re all outraged at the manifest incompetence of whoever was most recently hacked, leaking personal account details for tens of millions of clients and everyone firmly believes that “they” ought to do better. Yet as a society there’s little evidence beyond our clickbait Pavlovian responses that we’re… Read More
Tensilica HiFi DSPs for What I Want to Hear, and What I Don’t Want to Hear
It seems every day we see a new article (or ten) on autonomous driving. It is an especially hot topic, and it will happen someday. For now, we can dream about it, and many people are working on it. But for the present, the technology in a car that commands my attention is audio. I’ve been a musician since 4th grade. I still perform occasionally… Read More
WEBINAR: The Brave New World of Customized Memory
The need to design low power devices is not new. However, the criticality of lowering the power consumption of chip designs has never been as important as it is now. In 1989, I purchased one of the first consumer cell phones produced by Panasonic. The battery was the size of a brick, but only about a third of the thickness. If the battery… Read More


Enhancing Multi-Domain System Simulation with FMI Co-Simulation