Deep Learning, Reshaping the Industry or Holding to the Status Quo

Deep Learning, Reshaping the Industry or Holding to the Status Quo
by Daniel Payne on 04-25-2019 at 12:00 pm

AI, Machine Learning, Deep Learning and neural networks are all hot industry topics in 2019, but you probably want to know if these concepts are changing how we actually design or verify an SoC. To answer that question what better place to get an answer than from a panel of industry experts who recently gathered at DVcon with moderator… Read More


FPGA Landscape Update 2019

FPGA Landscape Update 2019
by Daniel Nenni on 04-01-2019 at 7:00 am

In 2015 Intel acquired Altera for $16.7B changing one of the most heated rivalries (Xilinx vs Altera) the fabless semiconductor ecosystem has ever seen. Prior to the acquisition the FPGA market was fairly evenly split between Xilinx and Altera with Lattice and Actel playing to market niches in the shadows. There were also two FPGA… Read More


Newer cryptocurrencies highlight need for agile mining strategies

Newer cryptocurrencies highlight need for agile mining strategies
by Tom Simon on 03-07-2019 at 12:00 pm

Cryptocurrencies represent a radical departure from traditional forms of money. Currencies like Bitcoin, Etherium and Monero offer many unique advantages over traditional currencies, and are changing how money is created and used. Bitcoin, the pioneer of cryptocurrencies, relies on pure computational power for so-called… Read More


AI, Deep Learning, SystemC, UVM, PSS – DVCon Has it All

AI, Deep Learning, SystemC, UVM, PSS – DVCon Has it All
by Daniel Payne on 02-14-2019 at 12:00 pm

Today I had the pleasure to speak with Tom Fitzpatrick, TPC Chair for the DVCon conferenceand exhibition slated for February 25-28 in the heart of Silicon Valley – San Jose. Tom lives in Massachusetts, a place where I used to live and work at Wang Labs, back in the day before the PC and WordPerfect software ended Wang’s… Read More


Building Better ADAS SOCs

Building Better ADAS SOCs
by Tom Simon on 02-07-2019 at 12:00 pm

Ever since we replaced horses in our personal transportation system, folks have been pining for cars that offer some relief from the constant need for supervision, control and management. Indeed, despite their obvious downsides, horses could be counted on to help with steering and obstacle avoidance. There are even cases when… Read More


MENTOR at DVCON 2019

MENTOR at DVCON 2019
by Daniel Nenni on 02-04-2019 at 7:00 am

The semiconductor conference season has started out strong and the premier verification gathering is coming up at the end of this month. SemiWiki bloggers, myself included, will be at the conference covering verification so you don’t have to. Verification is consuming more and more of the design cycle so I expect this event to … Read More


Embeddable FPGA Fabric on TSMC 7nm

Embeddable FPGA Fabric on TSMC 7nm
by Tom Simon on 12-14-2018 at 7:00 am

With their current line-up of embeddable and discrete FPGA products, Achronix has made a big impact on their markets. They started with their Speedster FPGA standard products, and then essentially created a brand-new market for embeddable FPGA IP cores. They have just announced a new generation of their Speedcore embeddable… Read More


Achronix Assists Academics

Achronix Assists Academics
by Tom Simon on 11-28-2018 at 7:00 am

In every semiconductor related field, innovation is the name of the game. Academic, non-profit and government research has been a consistent source of innovation. Look back at the US space program, basic science research and even military programs to see where much of the foundation of our current technological age came from.… Read More


An FPGA Industry Veteran’s View of Future

An FPGA Industry Veteran’s View of Future
by Tom Simon on 08-29-2018 at 7:00 am

There are tectonic changes happening in the world of FPGAs. A lot has changed since their introduction in the 80’s. Back then they were mostly used to implement state machines or glue logic. Subsequently they grew more complex with the addition of high speed IOs, eRAM, DSPs, other processors and other IP. More recently though FPGAs… Read More


Timing Closure Techniques for SOCs with Embedded FPGA Fabric

Timing Closure Techniques for SOCs with Embedded FPGA Fabric
by Tom Simon on 08-07-2018 at 12:00 pm

Once the benefits of using an embedded FPGA fabric are understood, the next question is about how timing closure is handled between the ASIC and the eFPGA blocks. First let’s look briefly at the advantages. By moving the eFPGA on to the SOC die, tons of I/O logic and the need for any package and board interconnect will vanish. Package… Read More