The world of analog cell design and migration is quite different from digital, because the inputs and outputs to an analog cell often have a continuously variable voltage level over time, instead of just switching between 1 and 0. Kenny Hsieh of TSMC presented on the topic of analog cell migration at the recent North American OIP … Read More




Bizarre results for P2P resistance and current density (100x off) in on-chip ESD network simulations – why?
Resistance checks between ESD diode cells and pads or power clamps, and current density analysis for such current flows are commonly used for ESD networks verification [1]. When such simulations use standard post-layout netlists generated by parasitic extraction tools, the calculated resistances may be dramatically higher… Read More
Don’t Lie to Me
Some things just really rile me up. Mark Zuckerberg testifying before Congress. Bernie Madoff explaining his investment strategy. Elon Musk inveighing against restrictions on free speech. But there is a new candidate for boiling my blood – word of a potential merger of vehicle data aggregators Wejo and Otonomo.
These two… Read More
Podcast EP130: Alphawave IP’s Rise in the Semiconductor Ecosystem with Tony Pialis
Tony Pialis, co-founder and CEO of Alphawave, a global leader in high-speed connectivity IP enabling industries such as AI, autonomous vehicles, 5G, hyperscale data centers, and more. He is the former VP of Analog and Mixed-Signal IP at Intel and has co-founded three semiconductor IP companies, including Snowbush Microelectronics… Read More
Webinar: Flexible, Scalable Interconnect for AI HW System Architectures
Building next generation systems is a real balancing act. The high-performance computing demands presented by increasing AI an ML content in systems means there are increasing challenges for power consumption, thermal load, and the never-ending appetite for faster data communications. Power, performance, and cooling … Read More
Rethinking the System Design Process
The system design process can incorporate linear thinking, parallel thinking, or both, depending on the nature of the anticipated system, subsystem, or element of a subsystem. The structure, composition, scale, or focal point of a new/incremental system design incorporates the talents and gifts of the designer in either a … Read More
Solutions for Defense Electronics Supply Chain Challenges
“The amateurs discuss tactics: the professionals discuss logistics.”
— Napoleon
Logistics is even more important today than it was in the early 1800’s. Further, the effectiveness of Defense systems is increasingly driven by sophisticated electronics. As the recent Ukraine conflict reveals, weapons such as precision munitions,… Read More
Podcast EP129: Sondrel’s Unique Position in the Custom Chip Market
Dan is joined by Graham Curren, CEO of ASIC provider Sondrel. Graham founded Sondrel in 2002 after identifying a gap in the market for an international company specialising in complex digital IC design. Prior to establishing Sondrel, Graham worked in both ASIC design and manufacturing before joining EDA company, Avant! Corporation.… Read More
Re-configuring RISC-V Post-Silicon
How do you reconfigure system characteristics? The answer to that question is well established – through software. Make the underlying hardware general enough and use platform software to update behaviors and tweak hardware configuration registers. This simple fact drove the explosion of embedded processors everywhere … Read More
IEDM 2022 – Ann Kelleher of Intel – Plenary Talk
Ann Kelleher is Intel’s Executive Vice President, General Manager, Technology Development, and she gave the first plenary talk to kick off the 2022 IEDM, “Celebrating 75 Years of the Transistor A Look at the Evolution of Moore’s Law Innovation”. I am generally not a fan of plenary talks because I think they are often too broad and… Read More
Should the US Government Invest in Intel?