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PCI Express 4 specification just released for PCI-SIG DevCon

PCI Express 4 specification just released for PCI-SIG DevCon
by Eric Esteve on 07-01-2014 at 4:45 am

I have been alerted by a blog from Moshik Rubin from Cadence: PCI-SIG has finally released the PCIe 4.0 rev 0.3 specification for members’ review, on time for the PCI-SIG developers conference last June in Santa Clara. Since the early days of PCI Express in 2005, Denali (at that time, now Cadence) has positioned the PCIe VIP… Read More


RTL Signoff Update from #51DAC

RTL Signoff Update from #51DAC
by Daniel Payne on 06-30-2014 at 7:00 pm

In the early days of Customer Owned Tooling (COT) the signoff was done at the GDS II, or physical level. Today, however we see the trend of RTL signoff instead because of the EDA tools and methodology available. At DACearlier this month I met with Piyush Sanchetiof Atrenta to get an update on what’s new with RTL signoff.… Read More


Synopsys Revamps Formal at #51DAC

Synopsys Revamps Formal at #51DAC
by Paul McLellan on 06-30-2014 at 6:02 pm

Synopsys announced verification compiler a couple of months ago and dropped hints about their static and formal verification. They haven’t announced anything much for a couple of years and it turns out that the reason was that they decided that the technology that they had, some internally developed and some acquired, … Read More


Virtual Prototype Update from #51DAC

Virtual Prototype Update from #51DAC
by Daniel Payne on 06-30-2014 at 12:07 pm

EDA industry pundit Gary Smithhas been talking about the electronics industry adopting an ESL tool flow for decades, so it was my pleasure to speak with Bill Neifertof Carbon Design Systemsat DAC this month because his company has been offering both tools and models that enable a virtual prototyping design flow.… Read More


The Intel Resurgence?

The Intel Resurgence?
by Daniel Nenni on 06-30-2014 at 8:00 am

There is an interesting article on Seeking Alpha about Intel. Interesting because it is written by someone with both fabless semiconductor experience and a talent for strategic thinking. It’s a good read and like most Seeking Aplha semiconductor articles the comments are hilarious. Give the guy a penny and click over HERE, he … Read More


What can you do when your fab closes down?

What can you do when your fab closes down?
by Daniel Nenni on 06-29-2014 at 4:00 pm

A recent report from IC Insights described 72 wafer fabs that have closed in the past five years. Eight more plants have gone in 2014, showing the trend is continuing.

This leaves their customers with a problem: what can they do when the fab shuts down? Some may recognise that their own technology has reached the end of its life and work… Read More


This is How We Get One Million Design Starts!

This is How We Get One Million Design Starts!
by Daniel Nenni on 06-28-2014 at 10:00 am

One of the most interesting demos at #51DAC was the eSilicon GDS II online quote system for TSMC. Probably because eSilicon was one of the most interesting companies exhibiting this year. While writing the book “Fabless: The Transformation of the Semiconductor Industry” we took a close look at the history of fabless semiconductor… Read More


High Level Synthesis update from #51DAC

High Level Synthesis update from #51DAC
by Daniel Payne on 06-27-2014 at 8:00 pm

Every since Synopsys dominated the logic synthesis market in the 1980’s we’ve had something called HLS – High Level Synthesis, meaning something higher than what Design Compiler can understand as input. At DACthis year I met with Mark Milligan of Calypto to get an update on what’s new with HLS. I first… Read More


I’ll be with you in a second

I’ll be with you in a second
by Don Dingee on 06-27-2014 at 3:00 pm

One aspect of always-on is power conservation, being able to respond to events without having a device constantly in full-power mode. This month, the announcement of the Amazon Fire Phone and details revealed about the Google Android Wear SDK suggest another important dimension: the competitive advantage of rapid, frictionless… Read More


Standard Cell, IO and Hard IP Validation update

Standard Cell, IO and Hard IP Validation update
by Daniel Payne on 06-27-2014 at 1:26 pm

Every SoC team uses libraries of cells to get their new product to market quicker: Standard Cells, IO Cells and Hard IP blocks. One immediate question that comes to my mind is, “How clean are these cells?” Validating your cell libraries first makes sense, and will ensure that there are fewer surprises as your chip gets… Read More