The world of SPICE simulators is one filled with compromises. Typically, it is possible to choose the highest accuracy and pay a performance and capacity penalty, or to choose high speed and capacity but give up accuracy in the process. Many semiconductor companies have been turning to Primarius Technologies to help escape these… Read More





Nvidia Arm Acquisition Talking Points
Before founding SemiWiki I competed with Arm on many different levels throughout my career and I have had various business dealings with them since. SemiWiki also published the definitive book on Arm: “Mobile Unleashed” which goes deep into the history of Arm and the top SoC companies (Qualcomm, Apple, and Samsung).… Read More
Mentor User2User Virtual Event 2020!
Now that we have gone virtual, life has never been easier, for me anyway. There are literally events every day beamed into my living room. The question is which should I attend? The answer is I should attend the ones with the most customer-based content, which is what User2User is all about. I will miss attending this one live as it was… Read More
Automating the Design of Flat Panel Displays
I’ve used OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) displays for many years in my monitors, laptops, tablets, e-readers and smart phones; and knew that the AMOLED (Active-Matrix OLED) displays used thin-film transistor technology where each pixel can be controlled, but I hadn’t considered the actual design process… Read More
Sensor Fusion in Hearables. A powerful complement
I must admit I’m impressed with how CEVA is pulling together foundational solutions for advanced consumer electronics. This through their own technologies (DSP, audio, vision, neural nets) and a rapid pace of partnerships, investments and acquisitions. Off the top of my head, I remember recent announcements on Immervision… Read More
How ML Enables Cadence Digital Tools to Deliver Better PPA
There has been a lot written about artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) and its application in the Cadence digital design flow. Most recently, I covered significant verification efficiency improvements in Xcellium ML. A recent digital-themed white paper from Cadence takes a broader look at the impact of ML on… Read More
ASIC and FPGA Design and Verification Trends 2020
Harry Foster and I started in semiconductors at the same time so it was great to reminisce while talking about the latest Wilson Research Group Functional Verification Trend reports. Before I get into the reports lets talk about Harry who is a verification superstar:
Harry is Chief Scientist Verification for the Design Verification… Read More
China Mobile and Computer Update 2020
Data on China production of mobile phones from the National Bureau of Statistics of China indicates a double-digit decline in the year 2020. In 1Q 2020, the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, China mobile phone production declined 50% from 4Q 2019 and dropped 33% from a year earlier. Many factories were temporarily closed in… Read More
Siemens is the True Catalyst for Secure and Trusted Digital Transformation
Introduction
For many years, I pondered the ultimate future of EDA. Companies such as Oracle, SAP and Dassault provide a huge array of enabling software infrastructure for the enterprise, including product design, mechanical design, project management and materials sourcing. But not for the all-important tasks of chip and… Read More
Arm Design Reviews add Mentor for Verification Review
Arm and Mentor Recently announced that the Arm Design Reviews program now offers Mentor help in verification design reviews. I talked to Paul Williams (Sr Consultant and Verification Practice Lead at Mentor Graphics) and Peter Lewin (Dir. Mktg at Arm Partner Enablement Group) to get more insight into Arm Design Services, particularly… Read More
Weebit Nano Moves into the Mainstream with Customer Adoption