ads mdx semiwiki building trust gen 800x100ai

Integrated Photonics Accelerates with Entrance of TSMC and TowerJazz Foundries

Integrated Photonics Accelerates with Entrance of TSMC and TowerJazz Foundries
by Mitch Heins on 04-05-2017 at 12:00 pm


I’m writing this from the Boston airport on my way home from four straight weeks of PIC (photonic integrated circuit) related travel. It’s been a grueling but very rewarding four weeks and the big take away from this month is that there are now many more signs in the market that integrated photonics is reaching a real tipping point.… Read More


When Will we Replace the 3.5 mm Jack in Modern Phones?

When Will we Replace the 3.5 mm Jack in Modern Phones?
by Eric Esteve on 04-05-2017 at 7:00 am

You have certainly experienced that modern mobile phones are used for more than phone calls and do not have room for multiple connectors. A new approach for audio connectivity is needed, allowing product designers to retire the 3.5mm jack. Considering the USB audio protocol to replace the analog audio solutions, typically using… Read More


When Once is Not Enough, But Unlimited is Too Much

When Once is Not Enough, But Unlimited is Too Much
by Tom Simon on 04-04-2017 at 12:00 pm

When people think about non volatile memory, the first thing that usually comes to mind is NAND flash like that used in SSD’s or in microcontrollers to hold on-board code. Of course, there is also EEPROM and other types of NVM as well that can be used to hold data and code for the multitude of connected devices that are so common now. For… Read More


One Cellular Technology to Rule Them All

One Cellular Technology to Rule Them All
by Bernard Murphy on 04-04-2017 at 7:00 am

5G, the planned successor to earlier mobile network standards, holds all kinds of promise for new capabilities beyond LTE, but for a while seemed stuck in debate on exactly what the standard should cover. Several problems are apparent. A path to higher bit-rates is complicated because of spectrum shortage and fragmentation (plans… Read More


Shootout at 22nm!

Shootout at 22nm!
by Scotten Jones on 04-03-2017 at 4:00 pm

For an industry that drives improvement at an exponential rate it is funny how often something old is new again. Intel went into high volume production on 22nm in 2011, and TSMC and Samsung have both had 20nm technologies in production for several years. And yet, recently we have seen renewed interest in 22nm. GLOBALFOUNDRIES has… Read More


Apple Going (IP) Vertical with no Imagination!

Apple Going (IP) Vertical with no Imagination!
by Eric Esteve on 04-03-2017 at 12:00 pm

What conclusion could we derive from the recent (April 3) PR from Imagination where we learn that the company “has been notified by Apple Inc. (“Apple”), its largest customer, that Apple is of a view that it will no longer use the Group’s intellectual property in its new products in 15 months to two years time, and as such will not be … Read More


CEO Interview: Sanjay Keswani of Consensia

CEO Interview: Sanjay Keswani of Consensia
by Daniel Nenni on 04-03-2017 at 7:00 am

Sanjay Keswani founded Consensia in 2013. He has deep experience in the high-tech industry, guiding some of the world’s high profile technology brands through complex innovation and business transformation projects including companies such as Atmel, KLA-Tencor, Hughes Aircraft, and Motorola Mobility. Consensia customers… Read More


Everything a Designer Wants to Ask About FDSOI

Everything a Designer Wants to Ask About FDSOI
by Adele Hars on 04-01-2017 at 12:00 pm

So you’ve got questions about FD-SOI? For chip designers in Silicon Valley, there’s a great opportunity to get answers from some of the world’s leading design experts. It’s coming up fast: April 14th, the SOI Consortium is organizing a full day of FDSOI tutorials for chip designers. Bear in mind that Read More


Caution: Reset Domains Crossing

Caution: Reset Domains Crossing
by Bernard Murphy on 04-01-2017 at 7:00 am

Because you can never have too much to worry about in verification, reset domain crossings (RDCs) are another hazard lying in wait to derail your design. Which hardly seems fair. We like to think of resets as dependable anchors to get us back on track when all else fails, but it seems their dependability is not absolute, especially… Read More