More news from the 3DASIP conference. Chet Palesko of SavanSys Solution had an interesting presentation with the same title as this blog (although this blog draws from several other presentations too). Chet took a look at what aspects of 3D are likely to get cheaper going forward. He took as a starting point that stuff that is not … Read More
Altair SimLab: Tackling 3D IC Multiphysics Challenges for Scalable ECAD ModelingThe semiconductor industry is rapidly moving beyond traditional…Read More
AI Booming is Fueling Interface IP 23.5% YoY GrowthAI explosion is clearly driving semi-industry since 2020.…Read More
Benefits of Using Schematic Driven Layout
Most IC designs are developed by a team of professionals, often separated into distinct groups like front-end and back-end, logical and physical designers. Circuit designers use tools like schematic capture at the transistor-level to create a topology, then begin simulating the netlist with a SPICE simulator. Layout designers… Read More
3D, The State of the State
I have been at the 3D ASIP conference that is held every year in Burlingame. It is far and away the best place to get a snapshot on what is going on in 3D (and 2.5D) IC design each year. One of the presentations was by the guys from Yole on where the industry is right now. Other presentations were on pathfinding, power reduction (did you know… Read More
A Functional Verification Framework Spanning Simulation to Emulation
Software engineers and firmware designers can find bugs, update their code and re-distribute to the users. In the consumer electronics world this means that my smart phone apps get updated, and my Android OS gets updated on a somewhat regular basis, however on the hardware side the design and verification of an SoC must be close … Read More
IDT bolsters RF portfolio amid LTE boom
The global rollout of fourth-generation wireless (4G) infrastructure requires new architectural frameworks for RF devices with demands like high linearity. Integrated Device Technology (IDT) Inc. is confident that its high-performance RF solutions for high-bandwidth communications will open a new window of opportunity… Read More
TSMC Gets Ready for IoT
With all the talk about 14/16nm and 10nm it is important to realize that older processes are still important. Eventually 16nm may end up being cheaper than 28nm but for the time being 28nm seems to be a sort of sweet spot, not just cheaper than every process that came before it (which was true for every new node) but also cheaper than every… Read More
Intel has Another First for 14nm Production!
An interesting thing happened while I was researching a slide from Bill Holt’s “Advancing Moore’s Law” presentation at last month’s analyst meeting. Slide #19 mentioned that Intel was the first to use “air gap” dielectric spaces to improve performance in a digital logic flow for microprocessors. I know a certain foundry that … Read More
CTO Interview with Dr. Wim Schoenmaker of Magwel
I visited the Magwel booth at DAC in June and chatted with Dundar Dumlugol the CEO about their EDA tools that enable 3D co-simulation and extraction. Since then I’ve made contact with their CTO, Dr. Wim Schoenmaker to better understand what it’s like to start up and run an EDA company. Magwel’s history goes back… Read More
What Will Drive Smartphone Market Now?
Whenever a market matures, either it gets plagued by substitutes or it looks for complementary products or technologies which can fuel its maturation curve into further growth opportunities. While PCs and Notebooks got substituted by smartphones, there is no other device in foresight to substitute smartphones. The reason … Read More
A brief history of the Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) is apparently the next big thing, but it tends to appear in different ways to different people. To some it’s all about connectivity of the web of devices and to other it’s synonymous with sensors and wearable devices. And the scope of IoT is expanding by the day—to smart lighting, smart thermostats, smart… Read More
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