Webinar PQC SemiwikiV4

Taking a leap forward from TCAD

Taking a leap forward from TCAD
by Pawan Fangaria on 07-26-2014 at 8:00 am

We all know that Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) simulations are essential in developing processes for semiconductor manufacturing. From the very nature of these simulations (involving physical structure and corresponding electrical characteristics of a transistor or device), they are predominantly finite-element… Read More


Temperature – The Fourth Aspect to Look at in SoC Design

Temperature – The Fourth Aspect to Look at in SoC Design
by Pawan Fangaria on 07-25-2014 at 2:00 pm

In my career in semiconductor industry, I can recall, in the beginning there was emphasis on design completion with automation as fast as possible. The primary considerations were area and speed of completion of a semiconductor design. Today, with unprecedented increase in multiple functions on the same chip and density of the… Read More


Hybrid Emulation

Hybrid Emulation
by Paul McLellan on 07-25-2014 at 9:01 am

Hybrid emulation is when part of the system is run in the emulator and part of the system is run in a virtual prototype. Typically a model of the processor(s) is run in the virtual platform and then the rest of the design is modeled by running the RTL on the emulator. I talked to Tom Borgstrom at Synopsys about what technology they have … Read More


CEVA creating a wearable IP platform

CEVA creating a wearable IP platform
by Don Dingee on 07-25-2014 at 12:00 am

Processor and GPU cores usually get the limelight, driven by the ARM and Imagination machines occupying the center square of most SoC designs. CEVA has quietly been assembling DSP IP in most of the squares around the edge, and may have just reached critical mass for wearables and IoT devices.… Read More


Clever IoT Devices are Coming!

Clever IoT Devices are Coming!
by Daniel Nenni on 07-24-2014 at 4:00 pm

Paul McLellan and I spent the evening with Samsung at the Bentley Reserve in San Francisco last night. One thing I discussed with them in great detail was IoT devices. Samsung is investing heavily in IoT and the supporting infrastructure. In fact, there is a rumor that Samsung is acquiring home automation company SmartThings for… Read More


Power Modeling and Simulation of System Memory Subsystem

Power Modeling and Simulation of System Memory Subsystem
by Daniel Payne on 07-24-2014 at 11:05 am

One great benefit of designing at the ESL level is the promise of power savings on the order of 40% to 70% compared to using an RTL approach. Since a typical SoC can contain a hierarchy of memory, this kind of power savings could be a critical factor in meeting PPA goals. To find out how an SoC designer could use such an ESL approach to power… Read More


Atmel Licenses Mali and Security from ARM

Atmel Licenses Mali and Security from ARM
by Paul McLellan on 07-24-2014 at 7:01 am

Atmel (and ARM) announced yesterday that Atmel has licensed a portfolio of ARM IP for devices that require video, image and display capabilities. This portfolio includes Cortex-A7 (a 32-bit core), Mali-V500 (a video accelerator), Mali-DP500 (a display processor) and TrustZone technology (security technology). These can… Read More


Google Glass Fail!

Google Glass Fail!
by Daniel Nenni on 07-23-2014 at 4:30 pm

Not a total fail but I would classify it as a Segway type fail meaning that while society on a whole will shun Google Glass there will be a number of teksters that will keep the technology in circulation. Teksters is a word I just made up and submitted to the Urban Dictionary. Kind of like hipsters, teksters is a subset of counter-culture… Read More


The Two Biggest Misses in Mobile

The Two Biggest Misses in Mobile
by Paul McLellan on 07-23-2014 at 9:50 am

There are some interesting parallels between Intel and Microsoft. Both of them missed mobile. Actually they didn’t completely miss mobile, both of them had programs from early days. But clearly they both regarded mobile as a much lower priority: the PC was where all the money was and where it would continue to be forever.… Read More


NoCs for system-level power management

NoCs for system-level power management
by Don Dingee on 07-23-2014 at 7:00 am

Most of the buzz on network-on-chip is around simplifying and scaling interconnect, especially in multicore SoCs where AMBA buses and crossbars run into issues as more and more cores enter a design. Designers may want to explore how NoCs can help with a more power-aware approach.… Read More