Building a custom chip for edge computing applications can be quite daunting. For starters, there is very little power available at the edge, so energy efficiency will be top of mind. The whole point of edge processing is to off-load the time-consuming and costly process of sending data to the cloud, so substantial processing capability… Read More




Formal Methods for Aircraft Standards Compliance
When promoting adoption of formal methods in functional verification, there are two hurdles to overcome: one technical, the other people. The first is a comfortable and familiar challenge for us engineers. Take the course, pass the test, get the certificate. Very mechanical and deterministic. People on the other hand are non-deterministic… Read More
Understanding BLE Beacons and their Applications
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon is mostly a small battery powered radio transmitter that sends Bluetooth advertising packets containing information like URL (Universal Resource Locator), UUID (Universal Unique Identifier), battery voltage, temperature, transmit power at regular intervals to the mobile or fixed devices.… Read More
Reliability Analysis for Mission-Critical IC design
Mission-critical IC design for segments like automotive, aerospace, defense, medical and 5G have more stringent reliability analysis requirements than consumer electronics, and entails running special simulations for the following concerns:
- Electromigration analysis
- IR drop analysis
- MOS aging
- High-sigma Monte Carlo
Continuous Integration of UVM Testbenches
In recent years, one of the hot topics in chip design and verification has been continuous integration (CI). Like many innovations in hardware development, it was borrowed from software engineering and the programming world. The concept is simple: all code changes from all developers are merged back into the main development… Read More
Uber, Lyft Fail their COVID-19 Test
The COVID-19 pandemic taught many lessons and revealed various weaknesses in global supply chains and business models. The transportation industry was hit particularly hard as people stopped moving thereby taking down public transit, crashing rental car companies and airlines, and erasing the fleets of ride hailing operators.… Read More
Podcast EP37: AI on the Edge
Dan and Mike are joined by Rob Telson, VP of sales and marketing at BrainChip. Rob explores the various hardware requirements for AI applications and discusses the specific areas where BrainChip can provide substantial benefit. Power optimization and rapid system modification are discussed, among others.
The views, thoughts,… Read More
Design and Verification IP: Insights From a SmartDV Insider
Just as SmartTV has become a household term, SmartDV has become a well-known name within semiconductor design and verification circles. SmartDV™ Technologies is the proven and trusted choice for Smart Design IP and a range of Verification Solutions™ from Verification IP, including assertion-based and post-silicon validation… Read More
ASML is the key to Intel’s Resurrection Just like ASML helped TSMC beat Intel
-Intel’s access to high-NA EUV tools may be their elixir of life
-TSMC’s EUV adoption helped it vault faltering Intel & Samsung
-Maybe ASML should invest in Intel like Intel invested in ASML
-Shoe is on the other foot- But cooperation helps chip industry
Intel is dependent upon ASML for its entire future
If Intel… Read More
Can/Will NHTSA Rein in AVs Bad Boys?
There’s a new sheriff in town at the U.S. Department of Transportation in the form of Department Secretary Pete Buttigieg with an acting deputy in Acting Administrator Dr. Steve Cliff at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). NHTSA has served notice on bad boy Tesla CEO Elon Musk that it is investigating
Intel’s Pearl Harbor Moment