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Cadence Releases Enterprise-Level FPGA Prototyping

Cadence Releases Enterprise-Level FPGA Prototyping
by Bernard Murphy on 06-04-2019 at 5:00 am

Big prototyping hardware is essential to modern firmware and software development for pre-silicon, multi-billion gate hardware. For hardware verification it complements emulation, running fast enough for realistic testing on big software loads while still allowing fast-switch to emulation for more detailed debug where… Read More


2020 57thDAC to Co-Locate with SEMICON West!

2020 57thDAC to Co-Locate with SEMICON West!
by Daniel Nenni on 06-04-2019 at 1:54 am

Probably the most interesting news out of 56thDAC thus far is the announcement that in 2020 and 2021 DAC will co-locate with SEMICON West. It’s great news really since this is something that has been discussed over the years but has been deadlocked due to “failed negotiations”. Unfortunately, simple logic goes out the window with… Read More


Parallel SPICE Circuit Simulator Debuts

Parallel SPICE Circuit Simulator Debuts
by Daniel Payne on 06-03-2019 at 10:01 am

Spectre X, speed improvements

In EDA the most successful companies will often re-write their software tools in order to add new features, improve accuracy, increase capacity and of course, shorten run times. For SPICE circuit simulators we typically look at several factors to see if a new tool is worth a look or not:

  • Netlist compatibility
  • Model support
  • Foundry
Read More

A Practical Approach to Modeling ESD Protection Devices for Circuit Simulation

A Practical Approach to Modeling ESD Protection Devices for Circuit Simulation
by Tom Simon on 06-03-2019 at 8:00 am

Lurking inside of every Mosfet is a parasitic bipolar junction transistor (BJT). Of course, in normal circuit operation the BJT does not play a role in the device operation. Accordingly, SPICE models for Mosfets do not behave well when the BJT is triggered. However, these models work just fine for most purposes. The one important… Read More


The Genius Sperm Bank

The Genius Sperm Bank
by John East on 06-03-2019 at 5:00 am

The “20 Questions with John East” series continues

How did it happen?  How did Fairchild transform over a decade into the “off with their heads” culture?  To understand that, you need to know a little about the William Shockley story. William Shockley was born in London in 1910.  He moved to Silicon Valley when he was 3.  Of course,… Read More


Needham is Upbeat about EDA and IP Growth at #56DAC

Needham is Upbeat about EDA and IP Growth at #56DAC
by Daniel Payne on 06-02-2019 at 10:42 pm

Wally Rhines, Rich Valera

It’s Sunday afternoon and I just attended the annual Needham presentation at #56DAC in sunny Las Vegas, where Rich Valera shared an upbeat view of EDA and IP growth.  Here are the five drivers of this growth:

  • IoT
  • Automotive
  • Webscale/FAANGs
  • AI/ML
  • China

For the IoT market they’ve seen a CAGR of 8.6% to $8.2B in 2018, projected… Read More


In Their Own Words: TSMC and Open Innovation Platform

In Their Own Words: TSMC and Open Innovation Platform
by Daniel Nenni on 06-01-2019 at 8:00 am

TSMC, the largest and most influential pure-play foundry, has many fascinating stories to tell. In this section, TSMC covers some of their basic history, and explains how creating an ecosystem of partners has been key to their success, and to the growth of the semiconductor industry.

The history of TSMC and its Open Innovation … Read More


In Their Own Words: eSilicon Corporation

In Their Own Words: eSilicon Corporation
by Daniel Nenni on 06-01-2019 at 8:00 am

eSilicon was one of the first companies to focus on making the benefits of the fabless semiconductor movement available to a broader range of customers and markets. The company is credited with the creation of the fabless ASIC model. In this section, eSilicon shares some of its history and provides its view of the ever-changing Read More


Ten Things to see @ 56th DAC!

Ten Things to see @ 56th DAC!
by Daniel Nenni on 06-01-2019 at 8:00 am

New products always take precedence since EDA is a “mature” market. I have inside knowledge on this one so I can tell you it is not to be missed. Coincidently, but not really, a related white paper was just published so if you are not going to 56thDAC you can still get a virtual briefing. If you are going to DAC be sure and stop by the Fractal… Read More


Will a Lack of Ethics Doom Artificial Intelligence

Will a Lack of Ethics Doom Artificial Intelligence
by Matthew Rosenquist on 05-31-2019 at 5:00 am

If there was ever a time that ethics should be formally applied to technology, it is with the emergence of Artificial Intelligence. Yet most of the big AI companies struggle with what should seem a simple task: defining ethics for the use of their products. Without the underpinnings of a moral backbone, powerful tools often become… Read More