The move towards 5G networks with demands for decreased latency ( 100 devices/m[SUP]2[/SUP]), and the desire to flexibly configure and integrate mobile, fixed, optical and satellite telecommunications is putting tremendous pressure on the design of next generation telecom equipment. Silicon photonics promises to be the… Read More
What XiangShan Got Right—And What It Didn’t Dare TryAn Open ISA, a Closed Mindset — Predictive…Read More
The Critical Role of Pre-Silicon Security Verification with Secure-IC’s Laboryzr™ PlatformAs embedded systems and System-on-Chip (SoC) designs grow…Read More
Agentic AI and the EDA Revolution: Why Data Mobility, Security, and Availability Matter More Than EverThe EDA (Electronic Design Automation) and semiconductor industries…Read More
Testing IGBTs before they go into EVs
In the pages of SemiWiki, we are usually talking about what to do with billions of really small transistors – for a change of pace today, we’ll discuss what to do with a few really big ones. Mentor Graphics has just announced their latest MicReD platform for thermal testing of IGBTs, experiencing a resurgence (pun intended) thanks… Read More
What Does an MPW and a Pizza Have in Common?
Design starts are critical to the growth of the semiconductor industry so enabling them is a common theme on SemiWiki. One thing we have not covered in detail is multi-project wafer services (MPW) which is the equivalent of ride sharing through the initial mask and wafer process. Larger semiconductor companies already do this … Read More
"Re-Inventing" Tapeout Sign-off — Applying Big Data Techniques to Electrical Analysis
A common SoC design methodology in current use starts with preparation of the physical floorplan — e.g., block/pin placement, global clock domain and bus signal planning, developing the global/local power distribution (and dynamic power domain management techniques). Decoupling capacitor estimated densities and… Read More
Rebooting EDA
In the 35 years since commercial EDA went mainstream a lot of advances have been made but the fundamental architecture and even the philosophy of tooling have really not advanced at all. Tools are designed around individual tasks – analysis and optimization within a specific domain – under the assumption that variability within… Read More
Google TPU Another Step in a Shifting Semiconductor Landscape
Markets work when consumers of a widget don’t feel there is significant differentiated value in making their own and would rather get lowest possible cost from experienced widget makers who can amortize their investment over high-volume sales to many customers. But that changes when a large consumer finds they can increase differentiated… Read More
Ride Hailing is Not Ride Sharing
There are many misconceptions about ride sharing as journalists and analysts are wont to refer to Uber, Lyft, DiDi and the rest. Conceived as a means to increase asset utilization by allowing drivers to pick up passengers along their way, ride sharing services instantly became ride hailing services directly competing with taxis… Read More
Where are the Entrepreneurs?
This week I attended the UpWest Labs event in San Francisco. UpWest Labs provides seed funding and incubation for a wide range of domains including Enterprise Software, Internet of Things, Infrastructure Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Consumer Applications, Drones, Cyber Security, Augmented Reality / Virtual … Read More
Donald Trump’s demand that Apple must make iPhones in the U.S. actually isn’t that crazy
Donald Trump has promised that “we’re gonna get Apple to start building their damn computers and things in this country, instead of in other countries.” He said this ata speech at Virginia’s Liberty University andseveralother events. It is very likely that he is not serious; Trump tends to say things he couldn’t possibly mean. … Read More
Aldec extends FPGA and ASIC flows at DAC
Aldec tools and services have long been associated with FPGA designs. As FPGAs have evolved toward more RTL-based designs, the similarities between a modern FPGA verification flow and an ASIC verification flow often leave them looking virtually the same. … Read More
A Quick Tour Through Prompt Engineering as it Might Apply to Debug