TSMC held their very popular Open Innovation Platform event (OIP) on August 25. The event was virtual of course and was packed with great presentations from TSMC’s vast ecosystem. One very interesting and relevant presentation was from Dolphin Design, discussing the delivery of high-performance audio processing using TSMC’s… Read More
Highlights of the TSMC Technology Symposium – Part 2
Recently, TSMC held their 26th annual Technology Symposium, which was conducted virtually for the first time. This article is the second of three that attempts to summarize the highlights of the presentations. This article focuses on the TSMC advanced packaging technology roadmap, as described by Doug Yu, VP, R&D.
Key… Read More
In-Chip Monitoring Helps Manage Data Center Power
Designers spend plenty of time analyzing the effects of process, voltage and temperature. But everyone knows it’s not enough to simply stop there. Operating environments are tough and have lots of limitations, especially when it comes to power consumption and thermal issues. Thermal protection and even over-voltage protections… Read More
Highlights of the TSMC Technology Symposium – Part 1
Recently, TSMC held their 26th annual Technology Symposium, which was conducted virtually for the first time. This article is the first of three that attempts to summarize the highlights of the presentations.
This article focuses on the TSMC process technology roadmap, as described by the following executives:
- Y.J. Mii, SVP,
Smartphone Processor Trends and Process Differences down through 7nm
This comparison of smartphone processors from different companies and fab processes was originally going to be a post, but with the growing information content, I had to put it into an article. Here, due to information availability, Apple, Huawei, and Samsung Exynos processors will get the most coverage, but a few Qualcomm Snapdragon
Inside a Counterfeit 8086 Processor
Intel introduced the 8086 processor in 1978, leading to the x86 architecture in use today. I’m currently reverse-engineering the circuitry of the 8086 so I’ve been purchasing vintage 8086 chips off eBay. One chip I received is shown below. From the outside, it looks like a typical Intel 8086.
A “Super” Technology Mid-life Kicker for Intel
Summary
At the recent Intel Architecture Day 2020 symposium, a number of technology enhancements to the Intel 10nm process node were introduced. The cumulative effect of these enhancements would provide designs with a performance boost (at iso-power) approaching 20% – a significant intra-node enhancement, to be sure. The… Read More
Intel 10nm SuperFin Technology!
I made it through the Virtual Intel Architecture Day last week and much to my surprise it was very well done. Virtual events have been hit and miss but this one was definitely a hit. Great content, approachable experts, a glitch-free experience. The mainstream media has been redundantly covering it so let me add my many years of experience,… Read More
Is a US Semiconductor Manufacturing Revival on the Way?
Two bits of recent news has excited people in the semiconductor manufacturing space. First TSMC (bit.ly/384joVr) announced their intention to invest $12 B dollars in a Fab in Arizona. Then came the Corona-driven bipartisan proposed $23B federal government investment in semiconductor manufacturing (nyti.ms/2YZzFqnl). … Read More
Should India Invest in Semiconductor Manufacturing?
Cyber security, economic growth, government leadership and industry support must be weighed
The debate
A healthy public debate is underway as to whether India should invest in semiconductor manufacturing. PVG Menon, former chair of the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association, supports the objective as part of a full… Read More
Rapidus, IBM, and the Billion-Dollar Silicon Sovereignty Bet