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Analog FastSPICE AMS — Simple, Fast, nm-Accurate Mixed-Signal Verification

Analog FastSPICE AMS — Simple, Fast, nm-Accurate Mixed-Signal Verification
by Daniel Nenni on 11-12-2012 at 7:00 pm


Verification and AMS are top search terms on SemiWiki so clearly designers have a pressing need for fast and accurate verification of today’s mixed-signal SoCs that include massive digital blocks and precision analog/RF circuits. They need simulation performance to verify the mixed-signal functionality, and they need nanometer… Read More


Cadence sets the Global Standards in VIP for AMBA based SoC

Cadence sets the Global Standards in VIP for AMBA based SoC
by Eric Esteve on 11-12-2012 at 11:48 am

We have shown in Semiwiki how strong Cadence position was in Verification IP (VIP) in a previous post focusing on Interface standards like SuperSpeed USB or PCI Express. But IP based functions are used everywhere in a SoC, not only to interface with the external world, and need to be verified, as well, like for AMBA based functions.… Read More


Next Generation FPGA Prototyping

Next Generation FPGA Prototyping
by Paul McLellan on 11-12-2012 at 7:00 am

One technology that has quietly gone mainstream in semiconductor design is FPGA prototyping. That is, using an FPGA version of the design to run extensive verification. There are two approaches to doing this. The first way is simply to build an prototype board, buy some FPGAs from Xilinx or Altera and do everything yourself. The… Read More


Why are AMS designers turned off by Behavioral Modeling?

Why are AMS designers turned off by Behavioral Modeling?
by Ian Getreu on 11-11-2012 at 8:10 pm

Analog Mixed-Signal (AMS) behavioral models have not caught on with the AMS designer community. Why? I suspect a significant reason (but certainly not the only one) is the way they are presented.

First, what is AMS behavioral modeling?

I define it as “a set of user-defined equations that decribe the terminal behavior of a component”.… Read More


Static Timing Analysis for Memory Characterization

Static Timing Analysis for Memory Characterization
by Daniel Payne on 11-11-2012 at 6:18 pm

Modern SoC (System On Chip) designs contain a larger number of RAM (Random Access Memory) instances, so how do you know what the speed, timing and power are for any instance? There are a couple of approaches:
[LIST=1]

  • Trust the IP supplier to give you models that use polynomial equations to curve-fit the performance numbers based
  • Read More

    TSMC Financial Update Q4 2012!

    TSMC Financial Update Q4 2012!
    by Daniel Nenni on 11-11-2012 at 4:00 pm

    The weather in Taiwan last week was very nice, not too hot but certainly not cold. The same could be said for the TSM stock which broke $16 after the October financial report where TSMC reported a sales increase of 15% over September. Revenues for this year thus far increased 19% over last year so why isn’t TSM stock at $20 like I predicted… Read More


    Smartphone Market Share

    Smartphone Market Share
    by Paul McLellan on 11-09-2012 at 12:47 pm

    The numbers for smartphone sales in Q3 are starting to roll in. These are in units and not yet revenue (let alone profit) numbers although everyone down to Sony is for sure profitable. Samsung is running away with the volume, selling more than Apple, Huawei and Sony put together. One name that is missing is Motorola (Google) which … Read More


    Carbon has Six Weeks of ARM, not to Mention Imagination and MIPS

    Carbon has Six Weeks of ARM, not to Mention Imagination and MIPS
    by Paul McLellan on 11-09-2012 at 12:18 pm

    As George E.P. Box said, “essentially all models are wrong but some are useful.” That is certainly the case with Carbon’s models. For processors they have two models, one that is fast (but not timing-accurate) and one that is accurate (but not fast). But both are useful.

    Carbon attended the ARM TechCon in Santa… Read More


    ICCAD at 30: Alberto Looks Back and Forward

    ICCAD at 30: Alberto Looks Back and Forward
    by Paul McLellan on 11-08-2012 at 8:10 pm

    At ICCAD earlier this week, CEDA sponsored a talk by Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli looking back over the last 30 years (it is the 30th anniversary of ICCAD) and looking to the future. As is always the case in these sorts of presentations, the retrospective contained a lot more detail than the going forward part. Clayton Christensen… Read More


    IJTAG, Testing Large SoCs

    IJTAG, Testing Large SoCs
    by Paul McLellan on 11-08-2012 at 5:57 pm

    Test is the Rodney Dangerfield of EDA, it doesn’t get any respect. All designs need to be tested but somehow synthesis, routing, analog layout and the rest are the sexy areas. In my spoof all purpose EDA keynote address I even dissed it:You are short on time so slip in a quick mention of manufacturing test. Who knows anything … Read More