At the recent TSMC OIP Ecosystem Forum in Santa Clara, there was an important presentation that laid the groundwork for a great deal of future innovation. Alchip and its IP and EDA partner Synopsys presented Efficient 3D Chiplet Stacking Using TSMC SoIC. The concept of 3D, chiplet-based design certainly isn’t new. SemiWiki maintains… Read More
AMAT has OK Qtr but Mixed Outlook Means Weaker 2025 – China & Delays & CHIPS Act?
– AMAT has OK QTR but outlook below expectations as 2025 weakens
– Strength in AI cannot offset weakness in the rest of the market
– Increasing headwinds going into 2025 dampen overall outlook
– Weakness combined with regulatory uncertainty reduce valuations
Quarter and year are just OK but outlook is
… Read MoreMore Headwinds – CHIPS Act Chop? – Chip Equip Re-Shore? Orders Canceled & Fab Delay
– CHIPS Act more likely to be maimed & cut than outright killed
– Will Legislators reverse flow of equipment to Reshore from Offshore?
– Recent order cuts, Fab Delay & SMIC comments are all negative
– News flow for semi equipment all bad in front of AMAT
CHIPS Act Chops likely to occur under new administration
… Read MoreSamtec Paves the Way to Scalable Architectures at the AI Hardware & Edge AI Summit
AI is exploding everywhere. We’ve all seen the evidence. The same thing is happening with AI conferences. The conference I will discuss here began in 2018 as the AI Hardware Summit. The initial venue was the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. Like most things AI, this conference has grown substantially in a relatively… Read More
The Convergence of Functional with Safety, Security and PPA Verification
Formal For All!
“Do I need a PhD to use formal verification?”
“Can formal methods really scale?”
“Is it too difficult to write formal properties that actually prove something?”
“If I can’t get a proof, should I just hope for the best?”
“Do formal methods even offer useful coverage metrics?”
…
Discouraging words to say the least, but… Read More
Notes from DVCon Europe 2024
The 2024 DVCon (Design and Verification) Europe conference took place on October 15 and 16, in its traditional location at the Holiday Inn Munich City Centre. Artificial intelligence and software were prominent topics, along with the traditional DVCon topics like virtual platforms, RTL verification, and validation.
Keynotes:
… Read MoreKLAC – OK Qtr/Guide – Slow Growth – 2025 Leading Edge Offset by China – Mask Mash
- KLA put up an OK Quarter & Guide with modest growth & outlook
- 2025 remains slow growth as leading edge offset by China slowing
- China sanctions remain a “great unknown”- impact unclear
- Reticle biz getting squeezed from both high & low ends
OK quarter with slight beat as always- Guide is OK as well
KLA reported… Read More
Podcast EP257: IC Mask Design’s Unique Layout Training with Ciaran Whyte – Always Ask Why
Dan is joined by Ciaran Whyte, one of the founding members of IC Mask Design. As Chief Technical Officer he is responsible for all technical activity and the development and administration of all training courses. Cíaran has been training layout engineers for over 25 years and has completed layout training with over 600 engineers… Read More
LRCX- Coulda been worse but wasn’t so relief rally- Flattish is better than down
- Lam put in good quarter with flattish guide- still a slow recovery
- This is better than worst case fears of order drop like ASML
- China spend is slowing but tech spending increase offsets
- Relief rally as the market was braced for bad news and got OK news
Lam has OK, slightly better than in line quarter with OK guide….
It coulda been… Read More
AI Semiconductor Market
AI (artificial intelligence) is widely cited as a growth driver for the technology industry, including semiconductors. While AI is in its early stages, opinions vary on whether it will become common in the next few years. A McKinsey study from May 2024 showed 72% of organizations have adopted AI in at least one business function.… Read More


Quantum Advantage is About the Algorithm, not the Computer