The announcement that Steve Ballmer will step down from Microsoft within the next 12 months and just weeks after kicking off a vast re-org focused on mobile devices can only mean that the future is coming much faster than Bill Gates or Steve Ballmer had ever expected and that without a radical adoption of hardware everywhere, it will… Read More




20nm IC production needs more than a ready Foundry
I think by now all of us know, or have heard about 20nm process node, its PPA (Power, Performance, Area) advantages and challenges (complexity of high design size and density, heterogeneity, variability, stress, lithography complexities, LDEs and so on). I’m not going to get into the details of these challenges, but will ponder… Read More
NoC adoption surge at Chinese chip maker
The news from Arteris, Inc., announcing that “its interconnect fabric IP has been licensed and deployed in a majority of chips developed by China’s leading semiconductor companies for applications including consumer electronics, smartphones, and tablets,” is holding attention for several reasons. At first, because it’s… Read More
Jasper: Negronis on tap
Did you know that Jasper’s Corner Tap in San Francisco serves Negronis on tap? It’s true. They also have Hanky Panky on tap, which is a Negroni with the Campari replaced with Fernet (which everyone pronounces as Frenet despite it being…well…wrong). And here’s another thing you probably didn’t… Read More
Innovation + Thoughtful Management = Productive Expansion
After looking at various aspects of this company, to sum up, I couldn’t find any better statement than this; thoughtful management here is actually leadership with passion which achieves tangible results. This reflects in the methodology of doing things in this company which has given it a place among top EDA companies in a span… Read More
Web-based Circuit Design and Analysis
Last month I blogged about CircuitLaband received some two dozen comments, so clearly there is keen interest in using web-based tools for electronic circuit design and using the cloud to save designs plus run simulations. Today I’m reporting on TINACloud, provided by a company called DesignSoft. … Read More
Who is One Step Above Colgate and One Below P&G?
So who do you think is #31 on the list on Forbes list of the most innovative companies in the world? One place above Colgate and one place below Procter and Gamble. Your first thought is probably why am I asking this on a blog covering semiconductors and going on about toothpaste manufacturers. The answer is Dassault Systèmes. Perhaps… Read More
Test, The Forgotten Step-Child of Semiconductor Design
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!
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?
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
Why I Think Intel 3.0 Will Succeed