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Apache Power Artist Capabilities II

Apache Power Artist Capabilities II
by Paul McLellan on 12-09-2012 at 4:00 pm

This is the second part of my discussion with Paul Traynar, Apache’s PowerArtist guru. The first part discussed sequential reduction capabilities. Part I was here.

There are two big challenges with doing power analysis at the RTL level. Firstly, how do you get an accurate enough model of what the design will dissipate given… Read More


A Brief History of the MIPS Architecture

A Brief History of the MIPS Architecture
by IMGJen on 12-07-2012 at 1:00 pm

MIPS is one of the most prolific, longest-living industry-standard processor architectures, existing in numerous incarnations over nearly three decades.

MIPS has powered products including game systems from Nintendo and Sony; DVRs from Dish Network, EchoStar and TiVo; set-top boxes from Cisco and Motorola; DTVs from Samsung… Read More


Subsystem IP, myth or reality?

Subsystem IP, myth or reality?
by Eric Esteve on 12-07-2012 at 5:00 am

I have participated to a panel during IP-SoC, I must say that “Subsystem IP, myth or Reality” was a great moment. The panel was a mix of mid-size IP vendor (CAST, Sonics), one large EDA (Martin Lund from Cadence), Semiwiki blogger and one large IDM (Peter Hirt from STM) who has very well represented the customer side. And, to make the… Read More


Yield Analysis and Diagnosis Webinar

Yield Analysis and Diagnosis Webinar
by Beth Martin on 12-06-2012 at 10:02 pm

Sign up for a free webinar on December 11 on Accelerating Yield and Failure Analysis with Diagnosis.

The one hour presentation will be delivered via webcast by Geir Eide, Mentor’s foremost expert in yield learning. He will cover scan diagnosis, a software-based technique, that effectively identifies defects in digital logic… Read More


Apache Power Artist Capabilities I

Apache Power Artist Capabilities I
by Paul McLellan on 12-06-2012 at 2:05 pm

I sat down last week with Paul Traynar who was over from UK. He is Apache’s PowerArtist guru. The first thing we talked about was PowerArtist’s sequential power reduction capabilities.

Forward propagation of enables means that when a register is clock gated and feeds a downstream register then that register can be… Read More


Intel Taps The Debt Market: Should They Go Private?

Intel Taps The Debt Market: Should They Go Private?
by Ed McKernan on 12-06-2012 at 9:25 am

Intel’s ability this week to raise $6B in debt at rock bottom interest rates should give one a moment to pause and consider what this portends for the future of the company and whether it remains in public hands. We live in extraordinary times where a fiscally excessive government can sell 10 year treasuries at 1.6% and the largest … Read More


A Brief History of the Fabless Semiconductor Ecosystem

A Brief History of the Fabless Semiconductor Ecosystem
by Daniel Nenni on 12-05-2012 at 7:00 pm

Clearly the fabless semiconductor ecosystem is driving the semiconductor industry and is responsible for both the majority of the innovation and the sharp decline in consumer electronics costs we have experienced. By definition, a fabless semiconductor company does not have to spend the time and money on manufacturing related… Read More


Microprocessor Test and Verification 2012

Microprocessor Test and Verification 2012
by Paul McLellan on 12-05-2012 at 5:43 pm

Next week December 10-12th is the Microprocessor Test and Verification (MTV 2012) which is in Austin Texas (as DAC will be next year, of course). After lunch on Monday there is a panel session on the effectiveness of virtual prototyping entitled When simulation suffices, who needs FPGA or emulation? Bill Neifert, the CTO of Carbon… Read More


Formal Analysis of Security Data Paths

Formal Analysis of Security Data Paths
by Paul McLellan on 12-05-2012 at 5:07 pm

One challenge with security in systems is to ensure that there are not backdoors, either accidentally or maliciously inserted. Intel, ARM and others have various forms of trusted execution technology. Under the hood these are implemented by dividing the design into two parts, normal and secure, and implementing them with physical… Read More


Patents: Who to Sue?

Patents: Who to Sue?
by Paul McLellan on 12-05-2012 at 12:52 pm

In an interview (probably $) with the Wall Street Journal, Eric Schmidt, the chairman (and ex-CEO) of Google, said:“The adult way to run a business is to run it more like a country. They have disputes, yet they’ve actually been able to have huge trade with each other. They’re not sending bombs at each other. … It’s extremely curious… Read More