Semiwiki 400x100 1 final
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20nm SoC Design

20nm SoC Design
by Paul McLellan on 08-25-2011 at 12:48 am

There are a large number of challenges at 20nm that didn’t exist at 45nm or even 32nm.

The biggest issues are in the lithography area. Until now it has been possible to make a reticle using advanced reticle enhacement technology (RET) decoration and have it print. Amazing when you think that at 45nm we are making 45nm features… Read More


Silicon One

Silicon One
by Paul McLellan on 08-23-2011 at 5:23 pm

I have talked quite a bit over the last few years about how the trend towards small consumer devices with very fast ramp times. For example, pretty much any time Apple introduces a new product line (iPod, iPhone, iPad…) it becomes the fastest growing market in history. This has major implications for semiconductor design … Read More


Design Constraints

Design Constraints
by Paul McLellan on 08-19-2011 at 2:12 pm

Design constraints, which express higher level design intent, are one of the pieces of ancillary data that are critical to the success or failure of a custom (in fact any) design. Design constraints aren’t usually contained within layout files or library information, but without these critical data, designs may not meet specifications.… Read More


MUSIC in Bangalore

MUSIC in Bangalore
by Paul McLellan on 08-17-2011 at 7:18 pm

When you think of Indian music you might think of ragas for the sitar. But when you think of Indian MUSIC, that is the Magma user group meeting (Magma Users Summit for Integrated Circuits) coming up on September 7th in Bangalore (note: the date has changed from when it was originally announced). It is at Vivanta by Taj on M G Road.

There… Read More


nVidia: "30 Days From Going Out of Business"

nVidia: "30 Days From Going Out of Business"
by Ed McKernan on 08-11-2011 at 9:36 pm

Jen Hsun Huang, the CEO of nVidia, has a phrase he often repeats to his employees: “We are 30 days from going out of business.” With product cycles as short as 6 months, the troops are on a constant march to revenue. The earnings conference call on August 11th highlighted two critical pieces of information. First, is the success that… Read More


Speeding Verification of FPGA Prototype Boards

Speeding Verification of FPGA Prototype Boards
by Paul McLellan on 08-09-2011 at 5:42 pm

It is no secret that SoC designs continue to increase in complexity and time-to-market windows are shrinking. While there is room for debate on just how big a fraction of SoC design effort goes on verification, there is no debating that it is a large part of the total. Simulation is increasingly too slow, especially when software … Read More


Yalta in EDA: Cadence stronger in VIP territory…

Yalta in EDA: Cadence stronger in VIP territory…
by Eric Esteve on 08-07-2011 at 5:42 am

…when Synopsys is getting the lion’s share in Interface IP. In Q2 2010, there was two major acquisitions in EDA world: Synopsys has bought Virage Logic (for more than $300M) when Cadence bought Denali for an equivalent amount. Synopsys bought a 100% IP focused company, when Cadence bought a strongly VIP focused company. Does it … Read More


CDNS EDA360 is DEAD!

CDNS EDA360 is DEAD!
by Daniel Nenni on 07-30-2011 at 3:00 am

Hard to believe EDA360, the Cadence Blueprint toBattle ‘Profitability Gap’; Counters Semiconductor Industry’s Greatest Threat!, is DEAD at the ripe old age of one. As you may have already read John Bruggeman left Cadence after the company conference call last week. The formal announcement should go out on Monday after the SEC… Read More


SpringSoft Community Conferences

SpringSoft Community Conferences
by Paul McLellan on 07-18-2011 at 5:31 pm

During the next 6 months or so, SpringSoft will be running a dozen community conferences. These are open not just to users but to anyone interested in SpringSoft’s technology.

There will be 3 conferences in US in October in Irvine, Austin and San Jose. For more details as they become available check here. There will be three… Read More