Russ Fischer of Seeking Alpha fame just posted another article on Intel which, for a change, I agree wholeheartedly with except of course the part where he comments on the fabless semiconductor ecosystem, something he knows nothing about. But other than that it is definitely worth a read because as investments go Intel is certainly… Read More
Something new in High Level Synthesis and High Level VerificationAs SoC complexities continue to expand to billions…Read More
Mastering Atomic Precision – ALD’s Role in Semiconductor AdvancementsAtomic layer deposition (ALD) is a thin-film deposition…Read More
WEBINAR: Redefining Security – The challenges of implementing Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)In the late 1970s, cryptographic history saw the…Read More
How IROC Makes the World a Safer Place with Unique Soft Error AnalysisI recently had an eye-opening discussion regarding the…Read More
Driving Data Frontiers: High-Performance PCIe® and CXL® in Modern InfrastructuresThe increasing demands of data-intensive applications necessitate more…Read More
Apples Versus Zebras
I have seen a couple of posts comparing the density of the Apple A8 to the Intel Core M and concluding that the TSMC 20nm process is denser than the Intel 14nm process. In one of the threads one of the posters likened this to comparing apples to oranges, I agree except I think it is even worse than that, I think it is more like comparing apples… Read More
Coventor Panel at IEDM Digs into Variation Issues
Recently I attended a panel discussion on variability in semiconductor fabrication hosted by Coventor in conjunction with the IEEE IEDM conference in San Francisco. The IEEE bills the conference as “the world’s pre-eminent forum for reporting technological breakthroughs in the areas of semiconductor and electronic device… Read More
QuickLogic betting big on sensor hubs
QuickLogic Corp.—the former FPGA maker that reinvented itself through configurable design for consumer electronics (CE) products—is taking its sensor hub arsenal to high pitch at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Sensor hub, a companion to application processor, offloads data from sensors… Read More
Prototyping Kits to Accelerate IP Development & Integration into SoCs
With growing SoC size, complexity, software and hardware content in it and shrinking time-to-market, the SoC design completion in time has become increasingly dependent on IP which need to be sourced (internally or externally), customized according to the design need and integrated together into the SoC. While IP providers… Read More
Secure Microprocessors the Andes Way
Microprocessor vendors such as Andes have been saying for some time that security requires extensive hardware support. In particular, embedded processors in intelligent sensors inside IoT chips are now popular targets for hackers, who find it easy to change the program code and system parameters to alter the operation of the… Read More
Update: Who will manufacture the Apple A9?
Last August I presented possible scenarios for the manufacturing of the Apple A9 processor. Quite a bit has changed since then so I think it is worth revisiting. There has also been quite a lot of misinformation in the press which is now pretty much a daily thing. Attending the IEDM conference last month really was a stark difference… Read More
Is the Internet of Things just a toy?
The Internet of Things (IoT) is arguably the most hyped concept since the pre-crash dot-com euphoria. You may recall some of the phrases from back then such as “the new economy,” “new paradigm,” “get large or get lost,” “consumer-driven navigation,” “tailored web experience,” “it’s different now,” among countless other media… Read More
IEDM: FD-SOI Down to 10nm
The big picture is that planar semiconductor transistors don’t really work below 20nm. The reason is that the gate does a poor job of controlling the channel since too much channel is too far from the gate and so there is a lot of leakage even when the transistor is nominally off. So the channel needs to be made thinner. One way … Read More
Facts Support New Emergence in Semiconductor Landscape
As we left an exciting year 2014 which is poised to record 7+ % increase in semiconductor revenue (~ $338 B) compared to 2013 (~ $315 B) and entered into another promising year 2015 for semiconductors, I looked back over the year bygone and collected inferences from some of the major important events which clearly convey how 2015 can… Read More
TSMC Advanced Packaging Overcomes the Complexities of Multi-Die Design