Primarius 2B

Current Embedded Memory Solutions Are Inadequate for 100G Ethernet

Current Embedded Memory Solutions Are Inadequate for 100G Ethernet
by Sundar Iyer on 10-01-2012 at 7:00 pm

With an estimated 7 billion connected devices, the demand for rich content, including video, games, and mobile apps is skyrocketing. Service providers around the globe are scrambling to transform their networks to satisfy the overwhelming demand for content bandwidth. Over the next few years, they will be looking to network… Read More


User Review: iOS 6 on iPad

User Review: iOS 6 on iPad
by Daniel Payne on 10-01-2012 at 11:11 am

Much has been written about the new iPhone 5 and iOS 6 in terms of the features, specifications, bill of materials, and chips used in the design. Today I’ll share my experiences of actually using the new iOS 6 on iPad as an EDA blogger.

Upgrading to iOS6
Clicking the On button and noticing that the App Store icon has something new,… Read More


Toshiba’s ReRAM R&D Roadmap

Toshiba’s ReRAM R&D Roadmap
by Ed McKernan on 09-30-2012 at 11:00 pm

Most companies in the memory business have ReRAM on their radar if not their roadmaps. Toshiba have made some bullish comments about the roadmap and chip size for ReRAM at a recent R&D Strategies Update. At face value, the schedule would put Toshiba quite a bit ahead of their competitors. Over at ReRAM-Forum.com, we have done… Read More


Converge in Detroit

Converge in Detroit
by Paul McLellan on 09-30-2012 at 10:04 pm

When I worked for VaST we went to a show that I’d never heard of in EDA: SAE Convergence (SAE is the Society of Automotive Engineers). It is held once every two years and it focuses on transportation electronics, primarily automotive although there did seem to be some aerospace stuff there too. This is an even year, Convergence… Read More


How Much Cost Reduction Will 450mm Wafers Provide

How Much Cost Reduction Will 450mm Wafers Provide
by Paul McLellan on 09-28-2012 at 9:05 pm

I’ve been digging around the Interwebs a bit trying to find out what the received wisdom is about how big a cost reduction can be expected if and when we transition to 450mm (18″) wafers from today’s standard of 300mm (12″). And the answers are totally all over the place. They vary from about a 30% cost reduction… Read More


A Brief History of RTL Design

A Brief History of RTL Design
by Daniel Payne on 09-27-2012 at 9:00 pm

300px Register transfer level   example toggler.svg

RTL is an acronym for Register Transfer Level and refers to a level of hardware design abstraction using Registers and logic gates. Here’s an example schematic showing one DFF as a register, and one inverter as a logic gate.


Figure 1: RTL diagram of a DFF (D Flip Flop) and InverterRead More


Variation at 28-nm with Solido and GLOBALFOUNDRIES

Variation at 28-nm with Solido and GLOBALFOUNDRIES
by Kris Breen on 09-27-2012 at 9:00 pm

At DAC 2012 GLOBALFOUNDRIES and Solido presented a user track poster titled “Understanding and Designing for Variation in GLOBALFOUNDRIES 28-nm Technology” (as was previously announced here). This post describes the work that we presented.

We set out to better understand the effects of variation on design at 28-nm. In particular,… Read More


Will Paul Otellini Convince Tim Cook to Fill Intel’s Fabs?

Will Paul Otellini Convince Tim Cook to Fill Intel’s Fabs?
by Ed McKernan on 09-27-2012 at 8:30 pm

An empty Fab is a terrible thing to waste, especially when it is leading edge. By the end of the year Intel will, by my back of the envelope calculation, be sitting with the equivalent of one idle 22nm Fab (cost $5B). What would you do if you were Paul Otellini?

Across the valley, in Cupertino, you have Tim Cook, whose modus operandi is … Read More


Samsung going vertical Qualcomm cry CEVA laugh

Samsung going vertical Qualcomm cry CEVA laugh
by Eric Esteve on 09-27-2012 at 11:09 am

These last days have been full of Apple related stories; maybe it’s time to discuss a new topic? Like for example Samsung, direct competitor for Apple in the smartphone market, and take a look at the company move toward more vertical integration. Everybody working in the SC industry knows that Samsung is ranked #2 behind Intel, even… Read More