I just got this notice from my good friend and fellow sailor Rich Curtin. The Silicon Catalyst events are the best open networking events in Silicon Valley, absolutely. And this one includes another good friend Wally Rhines, the most interesting man in semiconductors, so you don’t want to miss this. The live event will definitely… Read More


Ask Not How FPGA Prototyping Differs From Emulation – Ask How FPGA Prototyping and Emulation Can Benefit You
The differences between commercial FPGA Prototyping (“Prototyping”) and Emulation have been well documented by the purveyors of commercial Prototyping and Emulation solutions, and the technical media. What has received less coverage is how Prototyping benefits differ from Emulation benefits. Both are intended to reduce… Read More
It’s Always About the Yield
Whether it is the stock market or the semiconductor market, the name of the game is yield. In semiconductors, yield has to do with minimizing scrap costs in all phases of manufacturing. This means squeezing as many good dies from a wafer as well as maximizing the number of good assembled/packaged chips that pass system level testing.… Read More
Podcast EP122: IMEC’s Unique Imaging Technology for Medical Apllications
Dan is joined by Dr. Xavier Rottenberg, who has been at IMEC Leuven since 2000, where he contributes to research in the field of RF, RF-MEMS, photonics and microsystems modelling integration.
Dan explores some of the unique imaging technology being developed at IMEC. Manufacturing methods to implement large sensors cost effectively… Read More
Configurable Processors. The Why and How
Configurable processors are hot now, in no small part thanks to RISC-V. Which is an ISA rather than a processor, but let’s not quibble. Arm followed with configurability in Cortex-X. Both were considerably preceded (a couple of decades) by Synopsys ARC® RISC CPUs and CEVA DSPs. Each stressed configurability as a differentiator… Read More
Architectural Planning of 3D IC
Before chiplets arrived, it seemed like designing an electronic system was a bit simpler, as a system on chip (SoC) methodology was well understood, and each SoC was mounted inside a package, then the packages for each component were interconnected on a printed circuit board (PCB). The emerging trend to design a 3D IC using chiplets… Read More
proteanTecs Technology Helps GUC Characterize Its GLink™ High-Speed Interface
An earlier post on SemiWiki discussed how deep data analytics helps accelerate SoC product development. The post presented insights into proteanTecs’ technology and quantified the benefits that can be derived by leveraging the software platform for SoC product development. You can review that earlier blog here. The power … Read More
Selecting a flash controller for storage reliability
Flash memory cards and solid-state drives (SSDs) provide high-performance storage in many devices and systems today. While the flash chips inside cards and SSDs provide raw capacity and performance, they must be combined with an intelligent flash controller to achieve the reliability system designers and consumers need. … Read More
Why Intel may be the first casualty if Beijing retaliates over Biden’s export controls
After the Biden administration upped the ante in the tech war by restricting China’s access to advanced US semiconductor technology, the $64,000 question was “How might Beijing respond?”
Punishing American companies in China (like Apple and Tesla) was not considered likely given the employment they generate – Apple… Read More
Requiem for a Self-Driving Prophet
In a few short years, self-driving tech enfant terrible George Hotz managed to get a rebuff from Tesla CEO Elon Musk and a brush back from both the California Department of Motor Vehicles and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) while single-handedly inventing the aftermarket for autonomous vehicle technology. … Read More
Intel’s Pearl Harbor Moment