800x100 Efficient and Robust Memory Verification (2)

3D-IC Physical Design

3D-IC Physical Design
by Pawan Fangaria on 02-22-2012 at 10:00 am

When process nodes reached 28 nm and below, it appeared that design density is reaching a saturation point, hitting the limits of Moore’s law. I was of the opinion that the future of microelectronic physical design was limited to 20 and 14 nm being addressed by technological advances such as FinFETs, double patterning, HKMG (High-k… Read More


Don’t go to Mobile World Congress without “MIPI IP Forecast 2011-2016”!

Don’t go to Mobile World Congress without “MIPI IP Forecast 2011-2016”!
by Eric Esteve on 02-22-2012 at 9:48 am

And if, like me, you don’t go to MWC, that’s the right time to get your version of the MIPI IP survey, the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] version since the first launch in 2010, because IPNEST will give you a good reason to buy it during MWC: you will get it at a lower price. That will apply now and during the event, but only from today, and up to the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP]… Read More


Custom Processors: Webinar

Custom Processors: Webinar
by Paul McLellan on 02-21-2012 at 5:24 pm

What is a custom processor? Or Application Specific Instruction-set Processor (ASIP) which is the buzzword which may or may not catch on.

Most programming is done on a processor with a fixed instruction set: think Intel x86 or ARM. Intel or ARM decided on what instructions to include, based on a lot of benchmarking across a wide range… Read More


Will the last 8051 please turn out the lights?

Will the last 8051 please turn out the lights?
by Don Dingee on 02-21-2012 at 2:38 pm

The words no engineer or supply chain professional wants to hear: end-of-life. It’s a reality of the semiconductor business, however – even the cheapest parts reach the point, eventually, where producing and selling them becomes inefficient. Is it reasonable that a microcontroller architecture outlive the people… Read More


LTE-Advanced Handsets for 4G

LTE-Advanced Handsets for 4G
by Paul McLellan on 02-21-2012 at 7:00 am

Due to a lot of somewhat aggressive marketing by carriers, you might think that 4G wireless is already here. After all, wasn’t 3G ages ago? But in fact true 4G handsets won’t really be available until 2015/6. But to make that schedule, first silicon needs to be available late this year or early next, to allow one or two … Read More


Pinpoint: Getting Control of Design Data

Pinpoint: Getting Control of Design Data
by Paul McLellan on 02-20-2012 at 5:39 pm

Back in the Napoleonic era it was possible to manage a battle with very ad hoc methods. Sit on a horse on top of the highest hill and watch the battle unfold, send messengers out with instructions. By the First World War, never mind the second, that approach was hopelessly outdated and a much more structured way of managing a battle was… Read More


Semiconductor IP Becomes A Critical Element in ASIC Design

Semiconductor IP Becomes A Critical Element in ASIC Design
by Daniel Nenni on 02-19-2012 at 4:05 pm

Clearly one of the market trends proving troublesome in the traditional ASIC value chain is the lack of silicon correlated custom IP. And make no mistake, semiconductor IP is a critical decision since it drives both chip level and system level technology differentiation.

Under the traditional ASIC model, vendors had their own… Read More