Traditional test methodologies have been based on the functional model, that is to say the netlist. The most well-known is probably the stuck-at model which grades a sequence of test vectors by whether they would have managed to notice the difference between a fully functional design and one where one of the signals was permanently… Read More
Alphawave Semi Bridges from Theory to Reality in Chiplet-Based AIGenAI, the most talked-about manifestation of AI these…Read More
Design Stage Verification Gives a Boost for IP DesignersThe concept of shift left is getting to…Read More
Who will Manufacture Apple’s Next SoC?
Just to review: The brain inside the current Apple iPhone 5s is the A7 SoC manufactured by Samsung using a 28nm process. The A6 (iPhone 5) and A5 (iPhone 4s) are based on Samsung 32nm. The rest of the Apple SoCs also used Samsung processes. I think we can all now agree that the coming Apple A8 SoC (iPhone 6) will use the TSMC 20nm process.… Read More
Hybrid Memory Cube and the Intel Knights Landing
While looking for information on a Xilinx Spartan 6 Project with DDR memory I came across a new type of DRAM called the Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC). The technology made me want to take a closer look:
The Hybrid Memory Cube is like a stack of DDR chips stacked die on die using through silicon vias to interconnect the dies the bottom die in not… Read More
What is the Latest in Mobile?
Most of the results are in for mobile for last quarter, plus the earnings calls are all over. The picture is not pretty. The big picture is that low-cost Android-based suppliers, primarily in Asia, are starting to eat a lot of market share from Samsung (#1) and Apple (#2). There were about 295M smartphones shipped in Q2, a measly 2% … Read More
Will Intel Have a Bigger FinFET Market Share Than TSMC in 2015?
Speculation is running rampant after last month’s conference call where Dr. Morris Chang, who is often referred to as “The Chairman”, commented that at 16nm TSMC will have a smaller market share than a major competitor in 2015. TSMC will however regain the FinFET lead in 2016 and 2017. Of course the blogosphere went crazy on this … Read More
CEVA actively preparing the future
I have recently blogged about CEVA acquisition of Riviera Waves, a very positive move to consolidate CEVA leading position of connectivity IP vendor (Bluetooth and WiFi). We know CEVA for years as being the leading supplier of DSP IP cores for the wireless phone market and it look like that we will have to rethink this definition,… Read More
The Carrington Event
Back in the pre-SemiWiki days when I had the EdaGrafitti blog I wrote about the Carrington event. This was a solar storm in 1859 that lasted for several days. On September 1st there was a coronal mass ejection (CME) traveling directly towards earth. Normally such an event would take several days to reach earth but an earlier ejection… Read More
Xilinx, 100 Reasons to use them
We all like compliments, correct? You know the kind that go like, “Glad you didn’t screw that up”. From time to time I get, “You write what you do because you’re affiliated with Xilinx”. Perhaps I will name my next child Xilinx. I have said this before, I do real work (debatable) and trade studies,… Read More
The Grand Folly of India’s Foundry Plans, Part 2
Image Source: Wikipedia
Authors: Pete Gasperini & Abhijit Athavale
The first article on this topic, published here on Semiwiki on July 6[SUP]th[/SUP], addressed New Delhi’s proposal to subsidize the construction of two silicon fabs – one in 22nm, the other in 28nm – in order to stimulate India’s high tech sector and reduce… Read More
Electronic Thermal Management through Icepak
Last week my daughter was playing some games on my Google Nexus smartphone for a while when one of my friends called. When I picked up the phone, I couldn’t imagine it was so hot. There is no doubt; every electronic device today emits an order of magnitude higher heat than what it used to at most a decade ago. There is so much emphasis on … Read More
Intel High NA Adoption