In the life of all EDA software tools comes that moment when new requirements make developers stop and ask, should I continue to refactor the existing code or just start all over from scratch using a new approach? Synopsys came to that junction point when ATPG run times were reaching days or even weeks on the largest IC designs, something… Read More
Webinar – IP Design Considerations for Real-Time Edge AI SystemsIt is well-known that semiconductor growth is driven…Read More
WEBINAR: Design and Stability Analysis of GaN Power Amplifiers using Advanced Simulation ToolsWhy should high frequency circuit designers consider stability…Read More
Visualizing hidden parasitic effects in advanced IC design By Omar Elabd As semiconductor designs move below…Read More
Statically Verifying RTL Connectivity with SynopsysMany years ago, not long after we first…Read More
Assertion IP (AIP) for Improved Design VerificationOver the years design reuse methodology created a…Read MoreGalaxy S7 and the Ongoing Charging Guessing Game
In the back-and-forth competition between Samsung and Apple, the Galaxy S7 certainly seems to have notched a few wins over the iPhone 6S. Most reviewers feel the Samsung camera is noticeably superior and the overall look and feel is on a par with or better than the Apple product. I want to focus on just one area where Samsung differs… Read More
RISC-V opens for business with SiFive Freedom
When we talk about open source, free usually comes in the context of “freedom”, not as in “free beer”, and open IP often serves as a base layer of value add for commercialization. The creators of the RISC-V instruction set, now working at startup SiFive, have released specifications for their aptly-named Freedom processor IP cores… Read More
How to Bring Coherency to the World of Cache Memory
As the size and complexity of System On Chip design has rapidly expanded in recent years, the need to use cache memory to improve throughput and reduce power has increased as well. Originally, cache memory was used to prevent what was then a single processor from making expensive off chip access for program or data memory. With the… Read More
Mainstream PCB Design Requires a Complete Tool Platform, Too
The EDA tool offerings for printed circuit board design commonly address one of three customer markets: (1) the enterprise design team, (2) the product development engineer, and (3) the “maker”. … Read More
Car Sharing, Ride Hailing on Collision Course
Do car makers know what they are getting themselves into with car sharing? Car companies are lacing up their skates and venturing out on the thin ice of car sharing. General Motors’ Maven, with fledgling efforts in New York City and Ann Arbor, Mich., is the latest incarnation of this movement. The movement is pervasive and growing… Read More
NTSB Entry Raises the Stakes of Tesla Probe
The National Transportation Safety Board’s entry into the investigation of the first fatal crash of a Tesla Model S is a monumental turning point in the autonomous driving movement. While long-time observers of the NTSB note that it only gets involved in investigations where broader implications exist, the agency’s interest… Read More
Hacking Your Way Across the Chasm
Geoffrey Moore’s “Crossing the Chasm” remains one of the most useful and widely read business books within the high-technology business. I say this not only because I spent a decade of my life working with Geoffrey and the rest of The Chasm Group as a consultant, but also because to this day, I have yet to find another book that is so … Read More
When will Intel strike back?
Stocks will likely be flattish on reduced news (KLAM, AMAT, UTEK, INTC, ASML & Hermes). From a Wall St perspective, this year will likely be one of the quietest Semicons in a while as all three major players, AMAT, LRCX & KLAC have no scheduled investor events. … Read More
Are Smart things making us smarter?
Nowadays, we don’t have to learn how to drive a car well because there are systems (automated braking, monitoring, etc.) in the car that is taking care of many things without our knowledge. We don’t have to remember whether we have switched off the lights before leaving the house. The smart home automation system will switch off the… Read More


From Prompts to Prompt Engineering to Knowing Ourselves