A processor ISA provides an abstraction against which to verify an implementation. We look here at a paper extending this concept to accelerators, for verification of how these interact with processors and software. Paul Cunningham (GM, Verification at Cadence), Raúl Camposano (Silicon Catalyst, entrepreneur, former Synopsys… Read More




Electromigration and IR Drop Analysis has a New Entrant
My first IR drop analysis was back in the early 1980s at Intel, where I had to manually model the parasitics of the VDD and VSS interconnect for all of the IO cells that our team was designing in a graphics chip, then I ran that netlist in a SPICE simulator using transient analysis, measuring the bounce in VSS and droop in VDD levels as all… Read More
Verification IP vs Testbench
Anyone can create a testbench[TB] and verify the design, but it can’t be simply reused as a verification IP [VIP]. So I would like to address in this article: What is VIP? How can we build a high-quality VIP? How can we verify the VIP? What else can we do to make the VIP unique and commercially more valuable?
Most of the module/IP level … Read More
System-Level Modeling using your Web Browser
I’ve simulated IC designs at the transistor-level with SPICE, gate-level, RTL with Verilog, and even used cycle-based functional simulators. Sure, they each worked well, but only for the domain and purpose they were designed for. Industry analyst, Gary Smith predicted that the IC world would soon move to system-level… Read More
Securing Applications: A PUFiot Solution for RISC-V-based IoT Devices
In June 2021, eMemory Technology hosted a webinar titled “PUFiot: A PUFrt-based Secure Coprocessor.” You can read a blog leading up to that webinar here. PUFiot is a novel high-security crypto coprocessor. You can access a recording of that entire webinar from eMemory’s Resources page. While the focus of that webinar was to present… Read More
The Journey of DRAM Continues
The field of DRAM is fascinating as it continues to grow and innovate. For the past ten years, I have often read that DRAM is running out of steam because of its difficulty to scale the capacitor, and yet it continues to evolve since invented by Dr. R. Dennard at IBM. In 1966, he introduced the concept of a transistor memory cell consisting… Read More
Auto Shows Return in Spite of COVID
I knew something special was going on in Munich last week at IAA Mobility – the first international auto show to be held outside China since the start of the pandemic – when a senior executive stepped off the stage before his talk to a modest crowd to say to me (sitting in the second row): “What are you doing here?” I don’t remember whether… Read More
Podcast EP39: The History of TSMC with Dr. Walden Rhines
Dan is joined by Dr. Walden Rhines for a far-reaching discussion of the history of TSMC and the foundry business model. The past, present and potential future scenarios are all explored.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wally_Rhines
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in these podcasts belong solely to the speaker,… Read More
CEO Interview: Maxim Ershov of Diakopto
Maxim is a scientist, engineer, and entrepreneur. His expertise is in physics, mathematics, semiconductor devices, and EDA. Prior to co-founding Diakopto, Maxim worked at Apple’s SEG (Silicon Engineering Group), where he was responsible for parasitic extraction. Before Apple, he was CTO of Silicon Frontline Technology,… Read More
The Path to 200 Gbps Serial Links
Ethernet speed evolution has kept a nice pace over the years even without any competing communications standard. And there are no signs of that slowing down, thanks to innovative companies deploying creative design techniques to keep delivering high-performance SerDes IP solutions. SerDes plays an integral role in implementing… Read More
Intel’s Pearl Harbor Moment