Cadence vManager™ Verification Management provides what the company describes as metric-driven signoff. Anyone who has been through the tapeout process for a complex SoC knows the perils of verification sign-off. How much of the chip has been verified? What’s left to do? Will all be ready when the tapeout deadline arrives? … Read More





Where’s the Value in Next-Gen Cars?
Value chains can be very robust and seemingly unbreakable – until they’re not. One we’ve taken for granted for many years is the chain for electronics systems in cars. The auto OEM, e.g. Toyota, gets electronics module from a Tier-1 supplier such as Denso. They, in turn, build their modules using chips from a semiconductor chip maker… Read More
Fractal CEO Update 2020
Rene Donkers, the company’s Co-founder and CEO, started his EDA career at Sagantec where he became responsible for world wide customer support and operations management. Ten years ago, Rene and a handful of people noticed a need in the design community for a standardized (portable) IP Validation approach to replace internal… Read More
Webinar: Optimize SoC Glitch Power with Accurate Analysis from RTL to Signoff
I had the opportunity to preview an upcoming webinar from Synopsys on SoC Glitch Power – what it is and how to reduce it. There is some eye-opening information in this webinar. Glitch power is a bigger problem than you may think and Synopsys has some excellent strategies to help reduce the problem. The webinar is available via replay… Read More
What’s At the Center of Your SoC Design Process?
I love starting a new project from scratch, because there’s that optimistic feeling of having no constraints and being able to creatively express myself and get the job done right this time. For SoC designs today there are teams of engineers and maybe a program manager plus a marketing person that define the features, budget… Read More
Synopsys Introduces Industry’s First Complete USB4 IP Solution
Synopsys announced an addition to its popular DesignWare IP portfolio recently that has some significant ramifications. The company announced the industry’s first complete USB4 IP solution. Before we get into the details of the announcement, let’s take a quick look at the USB standard and why it’s important.
Standards… Read More
COVID-19: The Fate of the Fearless
As I listened last Friday to Automotive News Publisher Jason Stein interview Scott Corwin, managing partner and “Future of Mobility” practice leader at Deloitte Consulting, regarding potential COVID-19 recovery scenarios for the mobility industry I realized that the vast analytical powers of Deloitte had met
How Blockchain Is Revolutionizing Crowdfunding
According to experts, there are five key benefits of crowdfunding platforms: efficiency, reach, easier presentation, built-in PR and marketing, and near-immediate validation of concept, which explains why crowdfunding has become an extremely useful alternative to venture capital (VC), and has also allowed non-traditional… Read More
Silicon Catalyst Announces a New Startup Ecosystem for MEMS Led by Industry Veteran Paul Pickering and supported by STMicroelectronics
A little over a month ago, I wrote about the substantial support that Silicon Catalyst and Arm were providing for chip startups. There have been many incubators for technology companies over the years. These organizations typically provide office space, some basic infrastructure, advisory help and sometimes access to seed … Read More
Webinar on Methods for Monte Carlo and High Sigma Analysis
There is an old saying popularized by Mark Twain that goes “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” It turns out that no one can say who originated this saying, yet despite however you might feel about statistics, they play an important role in verifying analog designs. The truth is that there are large numbers… Read More
Weebit Nano Moves into the Mainstream with Customer Adoption