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Cadence Celsius Heats Up 3D System-Level Electro-Thermal Modeling Market

Cadence Celsius Heats Up 3D System-Level Electro-Thermal Modeling Market
by Tom Simon on 09-24-2019 at 6:00 am

A few years back people were saying that the “EDA” problem was solved and that design tools had become commodity. At the same time people hailed ADAS, smart homes, mobile communication and AI as the frontiers of electronics.  Perhaps it could be said that layout tools, routers, placers, and circuit simulators had largely matured… Read More


AI Inference at the Edge – Architecture and Design

AI Inference at the Edge – Architecture and Design
by Tom Dillinger on 09-23-2019 at 10:00 am

In the old days, product architects would throw a functional block diagram “over the wall” to the design team, who would plan the physical implementation, analyze the timing of estimated critical paths, and forecast the signal switching activity on representative benchmarks.  A common reply back to the architects was, “We’veRead More


Actel Goes Public – The IPO

Actel Goes Public – The IPO
by John East on 09-23-2019 at 6:00 am

In 1990 Xilinx notified us that they believed Actel was infringing a patent that had just been issued to them.  My immediate thoughts – the patent system is all screwed up!  Actel had been developing our product for five years. We had been shipping it for a year and a half.  During all that time, we were totally unaware that there was … Read More


Criminals Luring in Bitcoin Sellers to Launder Money

Criminals Luring in Bitcoin Sellers to Launder Money
by Matthew Rosenquist on 09-22-2019 at 10:00 am

Cybercriminals are luring in bitcoin holders with the promise of easy money if they become a mule to convert stolen assets into clean currency. The reality is these volunteers will just join the ranks of other victims. But that is not stopping people from joining up to replace other mules who have paid the price.

Criminals are selling… Read More


Forget about 5G

Forget about 5G
by Roger C. Lanctot on 09-20-2019 at 10:00 am

There is a vast amount of hubbub in the automotive industry regarding the onset of 5G technology. Industry excitement is manifest in the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) which is facilitating collaboration (among 120+ member) between the automotive industry and the wireless industry, possibly for the first time ever.

For … Read More


Chapter Eleven – International Semiconductor Competition

Chapter Eleven – International Semiconductor Competition
by Wally Rhines on 09-20-2019 at 6:00 am

Semiconductor industry evolution was largely a U.S. phenomenon.  While there were important contributions made by persons all over the world, the basic technology grew from the invention of the transistor at Bell Labs which was licensed broadly in the U.S.  That created a level playing field for all who wanted to become producers. … Read More


Is Samsung having problems with 7NM? Do long lines at TSMC prove that?

Is Samsung having problems with 7NM? Do long lines at TSMC prove that?
by Robert Maire on 09-19-2019 at 2:00 pm

Reports of increasing TSMC 7NM lead times
There have been a number of increasing media reports about lengthening leads times for TSMC 7NM process. From what we have been able to determine its not due to TSMC having a yield bust or other production issues, it is simply one of stronger than expected demand.

There have been reports of … Read More


Speeding Up Physical Failure Analysis (PFA)

Speeding Up Physical Failure Analysis (PFA)
by Daniel Payne on 09-19-2019 at 10:00 am

Mentor - design defect

The cost of an IC depends on many factors like: NRE, masks, fabrication, testing, packaging. Product engineers are tasked with testing each part and understanding what exactly is limiting the yields. Every company has a methodology for Physical Failure Analysis (PFA), and the challenge is to make this process as quick as possible,… Read More


WEBINAR: AI-Powered Automated Timing Arc Prediction for AMS IP’s

WEBINAR: AI-Powered Automated Timing Arc Prediction for AMS IP’s
by Daniel Nenni on 09-19-2019 at 6:00 am

A directed approach to reduce Risk and improve Quality

Safety and reliability are critical for most applications of integrated circuits (ICs) today. Even more so when they serve markets like ADAS, autonomous driving, healthcare and aeronautics where they are paramount. Safety and reliability transcend all levels of an integrated… Read More


The Korea/Japan trade war benefits US more than US/China hurts US

The Korea/Japan trade war benefits US more than US/China hurts US
by Robert Maire on 09-18-2019 at 10:00 am

Investors underestimate Japan/Korea trade war, US chip equip companies get collateral benefit, Long term share shifts in China & Korea, Creates near term upside for US companies, Memory Chip Price “Mirage”.
The lesser known trade war
While the market and the news has been pre-occupied with the ongoing soap
Read More