I drove down from San Francisco, where I live, to Silicon Valley this morning. Something odd was going on. As I approached San Francisco Airport there were a couple of buildings with lots of people standing on the roof. As I got further south, the bridges over the freeway all had lots of people just milling around. It was when I got to … Read More



Displaced but Looking to Add EDA Tools Skills?
In this tough economy you may find yourself displaced and looking for the next opportunity. If you’d like to add some new EDA tool skills, then check out what EMA Design Automation is offering with free Cadence OrCAD training.… Read More
Virtual Prototype your SoC including Arteris FlexNoC and optimize architecture using CPAK from Carbon
I have talked about Virtual Prototyping a SoC including FlexNoC Network on Chip IP from Arteris by using Carbon Design Systems set of tools in a previous post. A blog, posted on Carbon’ web, is clearly explaining the process to follow to optimize a fabric (FlexNoC) successively using the different tools from Carbon. Bill Neifert,… Read More
Over-under: Apple, 52M iPhones in 4Q
I’m in a Twitter conversation with some friends, with the subject: how many phones can Apple ship in the 4th quarter?
A respected analyst said 52M is “an easy mark” for Apple; others are saying 58M is the target for just the iPhone 5 in 4Q. However, the start for the iPhone 5 has been anything but easy. Oh, the orders… Read More
Damn! Cramer Figured It Out
As an investor, one has to always be aware when Jim Cramer informs the world of the investment scenario you have been playing comes out of the shadows and sees the light of day. Soon the herd will follow which is positive, but now one has to figure how long to ride the roller coaster. In an article posted on thestreet.com entitled “Tech… Read More
2nd International Workshop on Resistive RAM at Stanford
A Veritable who’s who of ReRAM researchers will be present at the 2nd International Workshop on Resistive RAM at Stanford in the beginning of October. Sponsored by IMEC and Stanford’s NMRTI (Non-Volatile Technology Research Initiative), the program features two days of talks, panel sessions and no doubt lots of… Read More
Automating Complex Circuit Checking Tasks
By Hend Wagieh, Mentor Graphics
At advanced IC technology nodes, circuit designers are now encountering problems such as reduced voltage supply headroom, increased wiring parasitic resistance (Rp) and capacitance (Cp), more restrictive electromigration (EM) rules, latch-up, and electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage,… Read More
Schematic Capture, Analog Fast SPICE, and Analysis Update
At the DAC show in June I met with folks at Berkeley DA and heard about their Analog Fast SPICE simulator being used inside of the Tanner EDA tools. With the newest release from Tanner called HiPer Silicon version 15.23 you get a tight integration between:… Read More
GlobalFoundries Announces 14nm Process
Today GlobalFoundries announced a 14nm process that will be available for volume production in 2014. They are explicitly trying to match Intel’s timeline for the introduction of 14nm. The process is called 14XM for eXtreme Mobility since it is especially focused on mobile. The process will be introduced just one year after… Read More
ReRAM Based Memory Buffers in SSDs
In a paper at the VLSI meeting in Hawaii, Professor Ken Takeuchi described using an ReRAM buffer with an SSD. He points to some major performance gains that one can expect from such a configuration in terms of energy, speed and lifetime. Is this an opportunity for ReRAM that could spur development of the technology? Read more in a post… Read More
Flynn Was Right: How a 2003 Warning Foretold Today’s Architectural Pivot