Semiconductors and automotive are now like peanut butter and jelly. Certainly you can have one without the other but why would you? I remember when a car first talked to me telling me that the door was ajar. It sounded more like, “the door is a jar” but I got the point. Now my car tells me just about everything including what is wrong with… Read More
The AI PC: A New Category Poised to Reignite the PC MarketThe PC industry is entering its most significant…Read More
The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of In-Circuit Emulation: Real-World Case Studies (Part 2 of 2)Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with…Read More
Webinar – The Path to Smaller, Denser, and Faster with CPX, Samtec’s Co-Packaged Copper and OpticsFor markets such as data center, high-performance computing,…Read More
Webinar – IP Design Considerations for Real-Time Edge AI SystemsIt is well-known that semiconductor growth is driven…Read More
WEBINAR: Design and Stability Analysis of GaN Power Amplifiers using Advanced Simulation ToolsWhy should high frequency circuit designers consider stability…Read MoreDaylight Savings Time and the IoT
On Sunday in the USA we changed our clocks back one hour to account for Daylight Savings Time and I was reminded of how far we have to go in getting all of our devices to understand and automatically account for the time. Despite all of the talk about IoT and how it has the promise to automate our lives, we still have to manually set the time.… Read More
MQTT not IoT “god protocol”, but getting closer
One protocol, and its descendants, drove the success of the World Wide Web. IP, or Internet Protocol, is the basis of every browser connection and the backbone of IT data centers. Some assumed that the Internet of Things would follow suit,… Read More
Samsung 14nm is the one delayed!
As you may have read, the CEO of Ultratech made some unfortunate statements on the recent quarterly conference call in regards to FinFET Yield. As a result there has been a lot of speculation about the who, what, and why. I blogged about it because it interested me personally plus I wanted to collect more data on the subject. Some of … Read More
FD-SOI, an Opportunity for China?
Last month in Shanghai was a meeting of the FD-SOI consortium. The focus of the meeting was largely on the suitability of using FD-SOI to serve the Chinese market. The fabs in China are not right on the bleeding edge and are very cost-sensitive so 28nm is probably as advanced as they will get for a long time if not indefinitely. China … Read More
In-Design DFM Signoff for 14nm FinFET Designs
While FinFET yield controversy is going on, I see a lot being done to improve that yield by various means. One prime trend today, it must be, it’s worthwhile, is to pull up various signoffs as early as possible during the design cycle. And DFM signoff is a must with respect to yield of fabrication. This reminds me about my patents filed… Read More
Its a bouncing baby IEEE standard!
Pass the cigars! On November 3rd, 2014, the IEEE-SA Standards Board finally approved IEEE P1687 as a new standard. From now on, you can drop the “P” and just call it 1687, or to its friends, IJTAG. Now would be a good time to sign up for an IJTAG technical workshop.
The new IEEE 1687 Internal JTAG (IJTAG) standard is changing… Read More
Improve Test Robustness & Coverage Early in Design
In a semiconductor design, keeping the design testable with high test coverage has always been a requirement. However with shrinking technology nodes and large, dense SoC designs and complex logic structures, while it has become mandatory to reach close to 100% test coverage, it’s extremely difficult to cope with the explosion… Read More
Let the FinFET Yield Controversy Begin!
It never ceases to amaze me how people point fingers and create controversy to cover their mistakes. It happened at 40nm, 28nm, and again at 20nm and now it is time for the regularly scheduled yield controversy. Of course any conversation about semiconductor yield generates clicks for SemiWiki so I’m happy to play along.
It generally… Read More
DAC Deadlines: Action This Day
DAC is coming up. OK, it’s not actually until next June. It is June 7-11th 2015 at the Moscone Center here in San Francisco. But there are lots of important deadlines coming up for papers, panels and more. The 52[SUP]nd[/SUP] DAC will focus on five key tracks:
- automotive
- IP design
- embedded systems
- hardware/software security


The AI PC: A New Category Poised to Reignite the PC Market