Battery life is a never-ending battle for me with all of my mobile devices: Laptop, Tablet, Smart phone, bike computer, Kindle Reader, Bluetooth headset, etc. It seems like I’m constantly having to charge up my battery at the most inconvenient times. When I think about the history of batteries for mobile devices I can recall… Read More
WEBINARS: Boost Your Simulation and Modeling EfficiencyUnlock the full potential of your semiconductor designs…Read More
Asia Driving Electronics GrowthElectronics production in the major developed countries has…Read More
Automating Reset Domain Crossing (RDC) Verification with Advanced Data AnalyticsThe complexity of System-on-Chip (SoC) designs continues to…Read More
The Immensity of Software Development and the Challenges of Debugging Series (Part 2 of 4)Part 2 of this 4-part series reviews the…Read More
Congratulations Dr. Walden C. Rhines!
A funny thing happened at the Design Automation Conference last June in San Francisco. I was browsing the Kaufman award winner mug shots in the EDAC booth and noticed that Wally Rhines was NOT a winner. You can see them HERE. Immediately in disbelief I said to myself: Self, how can this be? Joe Costello, Aart de Geus, and some other guys… Read More
How MunEDA Helps Solve the Difficulties of AMS/RF IP Reuse
Reusing design IP is crucial for competitiveness. The need for reuse occurs with new designs on the same process node as the original design, new designs at the same node but using a different PDK or foundry, or designs on a different process node – usually smaller. However, achieving effective IP reuse has always been a challenge.… Read More
"Night Gathers, and Now My Watch Begins"
What is going on in the watch world? And I don’t mean Game of Thrones‘ nights watch.
Lots, actually. Whether it will amount to a lot remains to be seen. I still think the usefulness versus the price isn’t there yet. Apple has sold 3.5M iWatches (or something close) which for anyone else would count as a runaway success… Read More
M&A Frenzy in the Chip Industry, the Growth of GaN, and Why It Matters
If expanding industries typically indicate vibrancy, a race to acquire and consolidate is generally reflective of the opposite – a period of slowed growth in mature, once high-flying categories. And while many industries experience a period of stardom, followed by a sharp and steady decline, we should be extremely worried when… Read More
Semiconductor Usage Revolves Around Asia
I just read Daniel Nenni’s blog titled “Is Silicon Valley Gridlock a Good Sign for Semiconductors?” Dan, there is no definitive answer to this, I mean in terms of semiconductors. Let me call it Semiconductor Gridlock in Silicon Valley. Yes it’s good because Silicon Valley promotes research, brings up innovative technology and… Read More
Improve SoC Front-end Design Productivity
I have been involved in SoC developments for a long time. During this period I tried to learn what impacts the productivity and subsequently the market opportunity. Over the last year or so at SoCScape I have been involved designing solutions that can improve them. I have decided to post some of my thoughts here in a series of blogs … Read More
Resolution Enhancement Technology – the key to Moore’s Law
The ability to extend photolithography utilizing 193i light sources to current process nodes is truly the key technical achievement that has enabled Moore’s Law to continue. The interplay between the exposure equipment, the materials – especially, resists and related coatings – and the fundamental principles… Read More
Computer Vision in Mobile SoCs and the Making of Third Processor after CPU and GPU
Qualcomm’s teaser of its upcoming Snapdragon 820 system-on-chip (SoC) was supposed to make up for the issues like overheating and bad press that haunted its predecessor Snapdragon 810. Instead, the San Diego, California–based semiconductor giant chose to show off the GPU and image processing muscle. Especially, its… Read More
Smartwatch – A Tough Puzzle to Crack
Discounting the initial electronic or digital watch wave in 1970s which saw its sudden death sooner than expected, the recent Apple Watch event was the third attempt to invade the big watch market; the first being in 1999 and the second in 2012-13 led by Pebble. Although it’s stated that Apple sold about 3.6 million Smartwatches … Read More
TSMC 16th OIP Ecosystem Forum First Thoughts