Apple’s recent bout with ‘Batterygate’ highlighted just how important dynamic power management can be. Our last Sonics update looked at using their NoC to manage power islands; this time, we look at their research progress on architectural measures for power management.… Read More



A Brief History of Open-Silicon
In 2003, when Open-Silicon was founded there was a growing need for flexible and innovative ways of getting chip designs manufactured. Semiconductor companies, given the alternatives of COT or traditional ASIC, often were looking for more flexibility without the huge investment and risk of going COT. Let’s look at how Open-Silicon… Read More
FinFET For Next-Gen Mobile and High-Performance Computing!
Evolving opportunities call for new and improved solutions to handle data, bandwidth and power. Moving forward, what will be the high-growth applications that drive product and technology innovation? The CAGRs for smartphone and data center continue to be very strong and healthy. … Read More
Advanced Micro Device’s New Polaris FinFET-Based Architecture Could Open New Doors
It seems of late like there is an unlimited thirst for GPU performance at the right power efficiency. Whether it is deep learning, object recognition, artificial intelligence, simulations, VR or AR, the industry desperately needs GPU improvements. Many within the graphics industry would agree that a new era of graphics performance… Read More
How to handle petabyte-scale traffic growth?
If you search the web for IP traffic growth, you will find many graphics, but the common result is that IP traffic is growing with high CAGR for many years and will again continue to grow with such high CAGR for the next five years. For example the global mobile data traffic is expected to grow with 53% CAGR 2015-2020… even if the smartphone… Read More
Emerging Smartphone Display Insights from Patents
US201403549 illustrates a display that includes the multifunctional pixels. Each multifunctional pixel can include several display areas as well sensors. Combining visual display technology with sensors provides the touchscreen operation by use of a finger, stylus or other object positioned on or near the visual display,… Read More
To EUV, or not to EUV, that is the question!
SPIE is next week so if you would like to meet me in person that is where I will be. SPIE is the big lithography and patterning conference for semiconductor professionals. Since I work with the foundries during my day job, SPIE is an important conference. SemiWiki blogger Scott Jones will also be there. During the day Scott does semiconductor… Read More
Why Apple’s Fight is Fruitless!
The article suggested by LinkedIn is titled “Should Apple fight a court order to unencrypt iPhones? #unlockiPhone”. However, my question is this, why didn’t the FBI just go to the NSA for what they needed? Why didn’t the FBI just hire the latest hacker who was able to hack the iphone and give him the same deal other hackers… Read More
New CEVA X baseband architecture takes on multi-RAT
What we think of as a “baseband processor” for cellular networks is often comprised of multiple cores. Anecdotes suggest to handle the different signal processing requirements for 2G, 3G, and 4G networks, some SoC designs use three different DSPs plus a control processor such as an ARM core. That’s nuts. What is the point of having… Read More
Tesla’s Secret Weapon!
Some CEO’s make things look easy and appear to enjoy their work. CEO’s like Richard Branson and Warren Buffet come to mind. These are guys that clearly enjoy what they are doing and, as a result, make everything they do look effortless and fun.
Tesla’s Chairman and CEO, Elon Musk, is another one of these types. There is an impishness… Read More
Flynn Was Right: How a 2003 Warning Foretold Today’s Architectural Pivot