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Is there anything in VLSI layout other than “pushing polygons”? (3)

Is there anything in VLSI layout other than “pushing polygons”? (3)
by Dan Clein on 11-13-2017 at 12:00 pm

In late 1986 the Layout Project Leader of DSP96000 got married and left for a 6 months’ vacation so I inherited the biggest chip MSIL had in stock. Floorplanning such size chip was a challenge from day one. Even the 68030 SUN workstation was too slow. I started to ask around and going to demos for any other possible tool that can help me… Read More


Finding the Right Needle in the IP Haystack

Finding the Right Needle in the IP Haystack
by Daniel Nenni on 11-13-2017 at 7:00 am

As the percentage of pre-configured IP increases in semiconductors, so design teams are able to reduce design cycle times. But one of the challenges for design teams is the inability to quickly and easily find IP because it’s incorrectly classified, sat in a designer’s home directory, or it’s been put into the ‘repository’ by an… Read More


Free PDF Version of PROTOTYPICAL for SoC Design

Free PDF Version of PROTOTYPICAL for SoC Design
by Daniel Nenni on 11-12-2017 at 7:00 am

In our quest to further enlighten the masses SemiWiki has published four books, we have two more eBooks in post production due out in Q1 2018 and two more topics in research. All of the books are available free for PDF versions or you can get printed versions on Amazon.com or free printed versions at book signings or if you happen to meet… Read More


Will Broadcom become a Chipzilla or is the deal DOA?

Will Broadcom become a Chipzilla or is the deal DOA?
by Robert Maire on 11-11-2017 at 6:00 am

The Broadcom bid for Qualcomm is the biggest, boldest semiconductor deal to date. Just when we thought semi M&A was cooling off, this deal is a years worth of deals rolled into one. Not only does this deal upset the current balance between chip suppliers and customers, it would create a giant entity smack in the middle of IOT, AI,… Read More


High performance processor IP targets automotive ISO 26262 applications

High performance processor IP targets automotive ISO 26262 applications
by Tom Simon on 11-09-2017 at 12:00 pm

The reason you are seeing a lot more written about the ISO 26262 requirements for automotive electronics is, to put it bluntly, this stuff is getting real. Driver assist systems are no longer only found in the realm of Mercedes and Tesla, almost every car in every brand offers some driver assist features. However, the heavy lifting… Read More


The DIY Syndrome

The DIY Syndrome
by Bernard Murphy on 11-09-2017 at 7:00 am

When facing a new design objective, we check off all the established tools and flows we know we are going to need. For everything else, we default to an expectation that we will paper over the gaps with scripting, documentation and spreadsheets. And why not? When we don’t know what we will have to deal with, in documentation, scheduling,… Read More


VESA DSC Encoder Enables MIPI DSI to Support 4K resolutions

VESA DSC Encoder Enables MIPI DSI to Support 4K resolutions
by Eric Esteve on 11-08-2017 at 12:00 pm

Some of the MIPI specifications are now massively used in mobile (smartphone), like the Multimedia related specs, Camera Serial Interface (CSI-2) and Display Serial Interface (DSI). These specifications are now adopted inautomotive infotainment systems, and augmented reality (AR)/ virtual reality (VR) devices. If you Read More


DesignShare is all About Enabling Design Wins!

DesignShare is all About Enabling Design Wins!
by Daniel Nenni on 11-08-2017 at 7:00 am

One of the barriers to silicon success has always been design costs, especially if you are an emerging company or targeting an emerging market such as IoT. Today design start costs are dominated by IP which is paid at the start of the project and that is after costly IP evaluations and other IP verification and integration challenges.… Read More


12 Year-old Semiconductor IP and Design Services Company Receives New Investment

12 Year-old Semiconductor IP and Design Services Company Receives New Investment
by Daniel Payne on 11-07-2017 at 12:00 pm

I have a transistor-level IC design background so was intrigued to learn more from the CEO of an IP and services company that started out in India 12 years ago. Last week I spoke with Samir Patel, CEO of Sankalp Semiconductorabout the newest $5 million financial investment in his company from Stakeboat Capital Fund. The Stakeboat… Read More


Webinar: High-Capacity Power Signoff Using Big Data

Webinar: High-Capacity Power Signoff Using Big Data
by Bernard Murphy on 11-07-2017 at 7:00 am

Want to know how NVIDIA signs off on power integrity and reliability on mega-chips? Read on.

PPA over-design has repercussions in increased product cost and potential missed schedules with no guarantee of product success. Advanced SoCs pack more functionality and performance resulting in higher power density, but traditional… Read More