Each year at the International Test Conference(ITC) we hear about the latest advances from the testability side of both EDA vendors and academics. This year Aart de Geus, Chairman and Co-CEO of Synopsys delivered a keynote speech titled, “Testing Positive, for Complexity“. Yesterday I spoke with Robert Ruiz and… Read More
SecureCore: secure MPU for IoT
The evaluation of the number of connected (IoT) systems by 2020 varies depending on the source, but we should see in the range of 30 billion IoT devices by that date. We already know some of the basic requirements: such a device will have to be connected, low cost, ultra-low power and… secure. The first three are key enablers, but we … Read More
SEMI Strategic Materials Conference and SEMICON Japan
I attended the SEMI Strategic Materials Conference earlier this month. I cover a pretty broad range of stuff on SemiWiki from embedded software and system-level design on down. But I usually stop at lithography and TCAD, which have a major impact on design and the whole fabless ecosystem. I hadn’t really thought about the… Read More
There’s good news about BadUSB
The good news about the recently-revealed BadUSB is that there actually is a cure: Hardware crypto engines were invented to protect software, firmware and hardware from exactly these types of attacks, among many others. These uber-tiny, ultra secure hardware devices can be easily and cost-effectively added to USB sticks (and… Read More
Crossfire on Continuous Path of Improvement
In an ever growing world of IPs, it’s essential that a tool which vouches to simplify designer’s job of IP development and help improving its quality remains versatile to encompass various formats, databases, common data models, standard libraries, scripting etc. that are used in the development of IPs and their exchange between… Read More
Processor for Internet-of-Things (IoT)
Due to increasing proliferation of sensors in our everyday lives, evolution of IoT is natural. The mix of different building blocks with different speed-power-performance constraints makes IoT as the hottest upcoming application area for semiconductor IP vendors. The System-on-Chips (SoCs) coming up in this area typically… Read More
How Lucio Lanza Got Into EDA
Lucio Lanza is this year’s recipient of the Kaufman award. Unlike most recipients, Lucio worked closely with Phil Kaufman earlier in his career. I met with him at his office in Palo Alto to hear the story.
Even if you have never met him, it would be a reasonable guess from his name that Lucio Lanza is Italian. And you’d be right. He grew… Read More
Power Management Policies for Android Devices
I’ll never forget the shock when I upgraded from a Feature Phone to my first Android-powered SmartPhone, because all of a sudden my battery life went from 6 days down to only 1 day between charges. As a consumer, I really want my battery to last much longer than one day, so the race is on for mobile phone companies to design their… Read More
i.am, I said
The tie between rock artists and technology isn’t new. One of the first prominent rockers-turned-entrepreneurs is Tom Scholz of Boston, an engineer who has a couple MIT degrees and several patents to his name. Neil Young is currently out with Pono, attempting to make a higher-resolution audio format based on FLAC encoding to get… Read More
A Complete Scalable Solution for IP Signoff
In an SoC world driven by IP, where an SoC can have hundreds of IP (sourced not only from 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] party but also from internal business units which can have a lot of legacy) integrated together, it has become essential to have a comprehensive and standard method to verify and signoff the IP. Additionally, these checks must … Read More
Weebit Nano Brings ReRAM Benefits to the Automotive Market