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Test, The Forgotten Step-Child of Semiconductor Design

Test, The Forgotten Step-Child of Semiconductor Design
by Paul McLellan on 08-20-2013 at 7:56 pm

Somehow, when designing a chip it is synthesis and place & route that gets all the attention. But it is no good taping out perfect layout without also having away to test the silicon. Somehow, test just isn’t as glamorous.

On September 10-12th is the International Test Conference which, as usual, is at the Disneyland Hotel… Read More


iPhone Buyers Are Younger, Richer, And Better Educated Than Samsung Smartphone Buyers!

iPhone Buyers Are Younger, Richer, And Better Educated Than Samsung Smartphone Buyers!
by Daniel Nenni on 08-20-2013 at 5:00 pm

Business Insider does it again, I just love their charts and with this one I agree with the logic 100%. To me this is more about Samsung the company than Samsung products, Samsung really needs to grow up. The negative marketing, the intellectual property thefts, bribery scandals, product dumping, presidential pardons……. Is that… Read More


Why Every Smartphone OEM Want to Use Homemade GPU?

Why Every Smartphone OEM Want to Use Homemade GPU?
by Eric Esteve on 08-20-2013 at 9:17 am

Smartphone shipment explosion and continuous growth is attracting always more OEM and chip makers, this is not really surprising, as the wireless market can be identified as the faster growing, and larger electronic segment ever seen. On such a mass market, the real question is “how to differentiate?” Apple is unique; just trying… Read More


No Mention of 14nm at the 2013 Intel Developer Forum?

No Mention of 14nm at the 2013 Intel Developer Forum?
by Daniel Nenni on 08-19-2013 at 5:00 pm

Yes, I will be going to IDF again this year, even though it is the same day as the Apple new product announcement. As a born again Apple Fan that is really saying something but Intel has done a great job of motivating the fabless semiconductor ecosystem and I thank them for that.

Unfortunately, noticeably missing from the IDF presentation… Read More


More to the story than bigger FPGA-based prototyping

More to the story than bigger FPGA-based prototyping
by Don Dingee on 08-19-2013 at 5:00 pm

Still not convinced on the value of FPGA-based prototyping systems, or using older technology? I’ve been trying to find the story beyond just bigger, badder FPGAs in a box that you pour RTL into – and found some hints in a webinar on the Synopsys HAPS-70 from earlier this year.… Read More


Atrenta Seminars in Asia – Making RTL Signoff Real

Atrenta Seminars in Asia – Making RTL Signoff Real
by Daniel Nenni on 08-18-2013 at 8:10 pm

Engaging with the semiconductor ecosystem is critical to surviving in the fast paced times we work in. Face to face interaction at all levels is key and semiconductor IP is a prime example. How do you ensure that your IP meets objective quality requirements before integration into your SoC, and that your SoC is ready for handoff to… Read More


Hogan’s Labor Day Luau

Hogan’s Labor Day Luau
by Paul McLellan on 08-16-2013 at 11:57 am

Jim Hogan is having his annual Heart of Technology charity barbecue at his home in Santa Cruz. This year it is on Saturday August 31st and it’s a luau. It is from 2pm to 8pm at 2171 Sunny Acres Drive, Santa Cruz. Each adult requires a tax-deductible donation of $50 to FleaHab of Santa Cruz County (kids are free).

In addition to Hawaiian… Read More


Why Adopt Hierarchical Test for SoC Designs

Why Adopt Hierarchical Test for SoC Designs
by Daniel Payne on 08-15-2013 at 4:37 pm

IC designers have been creating with hierarchy for years to better manage large design sizes, however for the test world the concept of hierarchy and emerging standards is a bit newer. TSMC and Synopsys jointly created a webinarthat addresses hierarchical test, so I’ve attended it this week and summarized my findings here.… Read More


Funding Startups the SK Telecom Way

Funding Startups the SK Telecom Way
by Paul McLellan on 08-15-2013 at 4:15 pm

At the recent GSA Entrepreneurship Forumone of the panelists was Angel Orrantia of Innopartners who are trying a novel approach to funding startups in the semiconductor space and the surrounding ecosystem.

It seems things got started with an innovation center inside SK Hynix. Just in case you have forgotten, Hynix is the newish… Read More


Accelerating SoC Simulation Times

Accelerating SoC Simulation Times
by Daniel Payne on 08-15-2013 at 2:43 pm

There never seems to be enough time in a SoC project to simulate all of the cycles and tests that you want to run, so any technique to accelerate each run is welcomed. You can just wait for your software-based RTL simulator to finish running, or you can consider using a hardware-based accelerator approach. I learned more about one such… Read More