I have historically avoided mixed signal topics, assuming they decouple from digital and can be left to the experts. That simple view no longer holds water. Analog and digital are becoming more closely linked through control loops and datapaths, requiring a careful balancing act in verification between performance, accuracy… Read More




Advancing Semiconductor Processes with Novel Extreme UV Photoresist Materials
Introduction
The ever-growing demand for faster, smaller, and more efficient electronic devices has fueled the semiconductor industry’s relentless pursuit of innovation. One crucial technology at the heart of semiconductor manufacturing is Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) to achieve smaller feature sizes… Read More
Rad Hard Circuit Design and Optimization for Space Applications
The Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology (MCTIC) has a research unit, Renato Archer Information Technology Center (CTI), and two of their IC engineers presented at the MunEDA User Group meeting this May on the topic of designing Latching Current Limiter (LCL) circuits for space applications with RHBD (radiation-hardened… Read More
Extending RISC-V for accelerating FIR and median filters
RISC-V presents a unique opportunity for designers to extend the microarchitecture with custom instructions. One possible application is digital signal filtering using finite impulse response (FIR) or median filters, potential algorithms for carrier demodulation schemes in communications systems like 5G. Codasip application… Read More
Fitting GPT into Edge Devices, Why and How
It is tempting to think that everything GPT-related is just chasing the publicity bandwagon and that articles on the topic, especially with evidently impossible claims (as in this case), are simply clickbait. In fact, there are practical reasons for hosting at least a subset of these large language models (LLMs) on edge devices… Read More
Interface IP in 2022: 22% YoY growth still data-centric driven
We have shown in the “Design IP Report” 2022 that the market share of the wired Interface IP category is a growing part of the total IP, and that this trend is confirmed year after year. The interface IP category has moved from 18% share in 2017 to 25% in 2022.
During the 2010-decade, smartphone was the strong driver for the IP industry,… Read More
Former TSMC President Don Brooks
Don Brooks is well known to many long time semiconductor insiders, like myself, but most SemiWiki readers have probably never heard of him. Don is a semiconductor legend and here is his story. This will be in two parts since he had a big impact on the semiconductor industry and TSMC. From 1991 to 1997 Don served as President of TSMC and… Read More
Podcast EP179: An Expert Panel Discussion on the Move to Chiplets
Dan is joined by a panel of experts to discuss chiplets and 2.5/3D design. The panelists are: Saif Alam – Vice President of Engineering at Movellus Inc., Tony Mastroianni Siemens EDA- Advanced Packaging Solutions Director and Craig Bishop – CTO Deca Technologies.
In this spirited and informative discussion the … Read More
The Incredible Journey of Analog Bits Through the Eyes of Mahesh Tirupattur
If you’ve designed a chip with analog content (and who hasn’t), you know Analog Bits. Along the way, you likely met Mahesh. If you are a lover of fine wines, you probably know Mahesh quite well. More on that later. I got the opportunity to speak with him recently about what he’s been up to, both now and over the past few years. It’s a story… Read More
ISO 21434 for Cybersecurity-Aware SoC Development
The automotive industry is undergoing a remarkable transformation, with vehicles becoming more connected, automated, and reliant on software. While these advancements promise convenience, comfort and efficiency to the consumers, the nature and complexity of the technologies also raise concerns for functional safety … Read More
Flynn Was Right: How a 2003 Warning Foretold Today’s Architectural Pivot