Last week Samsung hosted the GSA Silicon Valley “State of the Industry” Meet-up which was well attended by the semiconductor elite, myself included. The agenda started with an update on the semiconductor industry outlook followed by deep dives into Automotive, IoT, Artificial Intelligence, and Cybersecurity all of which are… Read More
Four Barriers to Using an SoC for IoT Projects
I often read about the large number of expected IoT design starts around the world, so I started to think about what the barriers are for launching this industry in order to meet the projections. One of my favorite IoT devices is the Garmin Edge 820, a computer for cyclists that has sensors for speed, cadence, power, heart rate, altitude… Read More
Intel Alternative Facts!
Brian Krzanich, CEO of Intel, announced a $7B investment in Fab 42 in Arizona in the oval office, next to Trump as evidence of a positive reaction to Trump’s new policies.
Alternative fact; Paul Otellini, then Intel’s CEO, made a similar promise about Fab 42 in the company of Obama in 2011, during a visit to Hillsboro,… Read More
Open-Silicon Update: 125M ASICs shipped!
As you all know I am a big fan of the ASIC business model. It was critical in the transformation of the fabless semiconductor industry and still plays a critical part in our success. In fact, the ASIC business model is leading the way for systems companies to make their own chips. Remember, Apple started with the ASIC business model … Read More
China moves from manufacturer to full supplier
CES 2017 wrapped up last week in Las Vegas. The show had over 175,000 attendees and over 3,800 exhibiting companies, according to the organizer, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). The U.S. had the most companies exhibiting at CES with 1,755. China was close behind at 1,575 companies according to Benjamin Joffe’s article… Read More
CTO Interview: Mohamed Kassem of efabless
Tell us about your personal vision for efabless
You recall that efabless is building a community of analog and mixed signal designers and providing the crowdsourcing platform that lets them (1) create and market their own new designs and (2) respond to customer requests for on-demand IP and ICs. I see us at the forefront of bringing… Read More
Semiconductors flat for second straight year
The global semiconductor market posted strong 11.6% growth in 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] quarter 2016 from 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] quarter, according to WSTS. This strength is reflected in the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] quarter revenue growth reported by the major semiconductor suppliers. Of the 12 companies, half (Intel, Samsung, Broadcom, TI, Micron… Read More
ARM and Open Silicon Join Forces to Fight the IoT Edge Wars!
I spent the last several days doing a deep dive into the world of IoT security and what I’ve learned has scared the pants off me. Various analysts predict that there will be over 30 billion connected IoT devices by the year 2020 growing from 9.9 million in 2013. A quick audit of my home identified over 40 connected devices including everything… Read More
Advanced Semiconductor Process Cost Trends
The cost trend for leading edge semiconductor technologies is a subject of some controversy in the industry. Cost is a complex issue with many interacting factors and much of the information out in the industry is in my opinion misleading or incorrect. In this article, I will discuss each of the factors as well as present a view of … Read More
CEO Interview: Jack Harding of eSilicon
I recently spoke with Jack Harding, CEO of eSilicon Corporation and Duy-Loan Le, one of eSilicon’s Board members about eSilicon’s progress in Vietnam, a large design location for the company. eSilicon also gives back in the region through its association with Sunflower Mission, a U.S. based non-profit organization that is committed… Read More
An Insight into Building Quantum Computers