Ceva webinar AI Arch SEMI 800X100 250625

Macro Placement Challenges

Macro Placement Challenges
by Paul McLellan on 12-27-2013 at 7:28 pm

One of the challenges of physical design of a modern SoC is that of macro placement. Back when a design just had a few macros then the flooplanning could be handled largely manually. But modern SoCs suffer from a number of problems. A new white paper from Mentor covers Olympus-SOCs features to address these issues:

  • As we move to smaller
Read More

Get into a Xilinx FPGA for Under $90

Get into a Xilinx FPGA for Under $90
by Luke Miller on 12-27-2013 at 6:30 pm

Jump into Xilinx Programmable Logic today! I wanted to encourage my dear readers if you have not tried using an Xilinx FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or even CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device) then it is worth your time to begin your evaluation. Maybe you got one for Christmas? If not, it is easier than you think to start… Read More


Patterns looking inside, not just between, logic cells

Patterns looking inside, not just between, logic cells
by Don Dingee on 12-27-2013 at 5:00 pm

Traditional logic testing relies on blasting pattern after pattern at the inputs, trying to exercise combinations to shake faults out of logic and hopefully have them manifested at an observable pin, be it a test point or a final output stage. It’s a remarkably inefficient process with a lot of randomness and luck involved.

Getting… Read More


Smart Watch, Phone, Phablet, Tablet, Thin Notebook…?

Smart Watch, Phone, Phablet, Tablet, Thin Notebook…?
by Pawan Fangaria on 12-26-2013 at 12:30 pm

There are more, but wait a while, from this set which ones do you need? Or let me ask the question differently (I know you may like something impulsively and have money to buy), which ones do you want to buy and own? Still confused? I guess what you need, you already have, but you want to change it for something new and different. While I … Read More


Highest Test Quality in Shortest Time – It’s Possible!

Highest Test Quality in Shortest Time – It’s Possible!
by Pawan Fangaria on 12-26-2013 at 10:30 am

Traditionally ATPG (Automatic Test Pattern Generation) and BIST (Built-In-Self-Test) are the two approaches for testing the whole semiconductor design squeezed on an IC; ATPG requires external test equipment and test vectors to test targeted faults, BIST circuit is implemented on chip along with the functional logic of IC.… Read More


A little FPGA-based prototyping takes the eXpress

A little FPGA-based prototyping takes the eXpress
by Don Dingee on 12-26-2013 at 9:00 am

Ever sat around waiting for a time slot on the one piece of big, powerful, expensive engineering equipment everyone in the building wants to use? It’s frustrating for engineers, and a project manager’s nightmare: a tool that can deliver big results, and a lot of schedule juggling.… Read More


SLEC is Not LEC

SLEC is Not LEC
by Paul McLellan on 12-20-2013 at 3:00 pm

One of the questions that Calypto is asked all the time is what is the difference between sequential logical equivalence checking (SLEC) and logical equivalence checking (LEC).

LEC is the type of equivalence checking that has been around for 20 years, although like all EDA technologies gradually getting more powerful. LEC is … Read More


Semicon Technology Advancement – A View From IEDM

Semicon Technology Advancement – A View From IEDM
by Pawan Fangaria on 12-20-2013 at 10:00 am

As I see the semiconductor industry going through significant changes and advances, yet ironically plagued by a growing perception that the pace of scaling is slowing, I was inclined to take a peek into what the industry experts say about the state of the industry and the future of Moore’s Law. Fortunately, at last week’s InternationalRead More


EDA and Semi IP Stocks in 2013: MENT, ARMH, CDN, SNPS, ANSS, CEVA, IMG.L

EDA and Semi IP Stocks in 2013: MENT, ARMH, CDN, SNPS, ANSS, CEVA, IMG.L
by Daniel Payne on 12-20-2013 at 12:39 am

2013 was an up year for the stock markets as both the DJIA and the tech-heavy NASDAQ showed significant growth, so how did EDA and Semi IP companies do in the past 12 months? A quick stock plot from Yahoo Finance shows us that only two of the seven companies beat the NASDAQ: ARMH, MENT.… Read More