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Traditional Model of Funding Semiconductor Equipment is Broken?

Traditional Model of Funding Semiconductor Equipment is Broken?
by Paul McLellan on 08-07-2012 at 7:30 pm

At Semicon a few weeks ago the big news was that Intel was making a big investment in ASML as a way of funding two development programs: extreme ultra-violet (EUV) and 450mm wafers. This week TSMC announced that they would join the program too, committing 275M Euros over a five year period. They are also taking a 5% stake in ASML. ASML… Read More


Conductive Bridging RAM ( CBRAM )

Conductive Bridging RAM ( CBRAM )
by Daniel Nenni on 08-07-2012 at 7:11 pm

One area of the Semiconductor Market that has continued to see start-up venture investment is emerging memories. There is always a perception and need to discover a memory that can either displace the current technologies or create a new niche between DRAM and Flash. Adesto Technologies was founded in 2007 to explore and commercialize… Read More


CEVA-MM3101 DSP IP core

CEVA-MM3101 DSP IP core
by Eric Esteve on 08-07-2012 at 6:00 pm

If the CEVA-XC4000 DSP IP core offers support for the most demanding communication standards, the CEVA-MM3101 provides full control over embedded vision and image enhancement applications, in SW, allowing Application Processor chip makers and OEM a way to differentiate their product. CEVA has decided to launch the MM3101 … Read More


TSMC Leads Semiconductor Sales Growth in 2012!

TSMC Leads Semiconductor Sales Growth in 2012!
by Daniel Nenni on 08-06-2012 at 10:00 am

As a fitting postscript to my “Brief History of the Fabless Semiconductor Industry”, semiconductor research company IC Insights compiled a list of the top semiconductor companies for the first half of 2012. As the traditional IDMs go fabless and sink in the ratings, the foundries post record gains led by TSMC at 22%, GlobalFoundries… Read More


Mars Rover "Curiosity" and EDA

Mars Rover "Curiosity" and EDA
by Daniel Payne on 08-05-2012 at 11:54 pm

I’m watching the latest Mars rover landing tonight called “Curiosity” and wondering about all of the electronic systems designed to control the project and hopefully send back some stunning new images along with new data on the micro-biology and chemistry of the red planet. JPL gets all the glory for designing… Read More


A Brief History of EDA

A Brief History of EDA
by Daniel Nenni on 08-05-2012 at 6:00 pm

Electronic Design Automation, or more affectionately known as EDA, is a relatively young $5B industry with a very colorful upbringing, one that I have experienced firsthand, I’m very grateful for, and is an honor to write about. Today EDA employs an estimated 27,000 people! There is a nice EDA Wikipedia page which can be found hereRead More


Synopsys Challenges with SpringSoft Acquisition

Synopsys Challenges with SpringSoft Acquisition
by Daniel Payne on 08-03-2012 at 12:41 pm

Another week in EDA and yet another acquisition by Synopsys as they buy SpringSoft this time for $406 million in cash. Paul McLellan wrote a good blog on this merger too.

Last week I blogged about the product overlap and integration challenges that Synopsys faces with the acquisition of Ciranova
.

Let’s take a look at the IC … Read More


Synopsys Aquires Springsoft

Synopsys Aquires Springsoft
by Paul McLellan on 08-03-2012 at 12:07 pm

Today it was announced that Synopsys is acquiring SpringSoft for $406 million dollars ($12.2B Taiwanese). Coincidentally, I was in SpringSoft’s US office yesterday to talk about how Laker is being used for 20nm design. More of that later. But there was certainly nothing to indicate that anyone there was expecting this.… Read More


Arteris FlexNoC penetration increase… everywhere

Arteris FlexNoC penetration increase… everywhere
by Eric Esteve on 08-02-2012 at 9:00 pm

The need for Network-on-Chip (NoC) has appeared at the time where chip makers realized that they could really integrate a complete system on a single die to build a System-on-Chip (SoC). At the early times (1995-2005), the so-call NoC IP suppliers were in fact proposing a crossbar switch, a pretty old concept initially developed… Read More


Webinar on Multi-voltage/VT/Channel Length Libraries

Webinar on Multi-voltage/VT/Channel Length Libraries
by Daniel Payne on 08-02-2012 at 8:10 pm

ken brock

Ken Brockof Synopsys presented on how to optimize your SoC design for low power at 40nm, 28nm and 20nm nodes in a webinar today. Ken and I both worked together at Silicon Compilers back in the late 1980’s, the best EDA/IP company that I’ve had the pleasure to join.

The webinar made a brief mention of 14nm and FinFETS but … Read More