Primarius 2B

Old standards never die

Old standards never die
by Paul McLellan on 11-09-2011 at 4:14 pm

I just put up a blog about the EDA interoperability forum, much of which is focused on standards. Which reminded me just how long-lived some standards turn out to be.

Back in the late 1970s Calma shipped workstations (actually re-badged Data General minicomputers) with a graphic display. That was how layout was done. It’s… Read More


EDA Interoperability Forum

EDA Interoperability Forum
by Paul McLellan on 11-09-2011 at 3:06 pm

The 24th Interoperability Forum is coming up at the end of the month on November 30th to be held at the Synopsys compus in Mountain View. It lasts from 9am until lunch (and yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as a free lunch). I think it looks like a very interesting way to spend a morning.

Here are the speakers and what they are speaking… Read More


Synopsys Awarded TSMC’s Interface IP Partner of the Year

Synopsys Awarded TSMC’s Interface IP Partner of the Year
by Eric Esteve on 11-09-2011 at 9:19 am

Is it surprising to see that Synopsys has been selected Interface IP partner of the year by TSMC? Not really, as the company is the clear leader on this IP market segment (which includes USB, PCI Express, SATA, DDRn, HDMI, MIPI and others protocols like Ethernet, DisplayPort, Hyper Transport, Infiniband, Serial RapidIO…). But,… Read More


Using Processors in the SoC Dataplane

Using Processors in the SoC Dataplane
by Paul McLellan on 11-08-2011 at 9:17 am

Almost any chip of any complexity contains a control processor of some sort. These blocks are good at executing a wide range of algorithms but there are often two problems with them: the performance is inadequate for some application or the amount of power required is much too high. Control processors pay in limited performance … Read More


RTL Power Models

RTL Power Models
by Paul McLellan on 11-08-2011 at 8:00 am

One of the challenges of doing a design in the 28nm world is that everything depends on everything else. But some decisions need to be made early with imperfect information. But the better the information we have, the better those early decisions will be. One area of particular importance is selecting a package, designing a power… Read More


Managing Test Power for ICs

Managing Test Power for ICs
by Beth Martin on 11-07-2011 at 12:17 pm

The goal for automatic test pattern generation (ATPG) is to achieve maximum coverage with the fewest test patterns. This conflicts with the goals of managing power because during test, the IC is often operated beyond its normal functional modes to get the highest quality test results. When switching activity exceeds a device’s… Read More


3D Transistors @ TSMC 20nm!

3D Transistors @ TSMC 20nm!
by Daniel Nenni on 11-06-2011 at 12:51 pm

Ever since the TSMC OIP Forum where Dr. Shang-Yi Chiang openly asked customers, “When do you want 3D Transistors (FinFETS)?” I have heard quite a few debates on the topic inside the top fabless semiconductor companies. The bottom line, in my expert opinion, is that TSMC will add FinFETS to the N20 (20nm) process node in parallel with… Read More


ARM Chips Away at Intel’s Server Business!

ARM Chips Away at Intel’s Server Business!
by Ed McKernan on 11-06-2011 at 7:40 am


When Intel entered the server market in the 1990s with their Pentium Processor and follow on Xeons beginning in 1998, they focused on the simple enterprise applications. At the same time they laid the groundwork for what will turn out to be a multi-decade, long war to wrest control from all mainframes and workstations. The announcements… Read More


PC Growth Latches on to the Parabolic Curve of Emerging Markets

PC Growth Latches on to the Parabolic Curve of Emerging Markets
by Ed McKernan on 11-04-2011 at 7:56 am

One of the interesting tidbits of information to come from Intel’s October earnings call was that Brazil, a country of nearly 200M people, has moved up to the #3 position in terms of PC unit sales. This was a shock to most people and as usual brushed aside by those not familiar with the happenings of the emerging markets (i.e. the countries… Read More


Arteris vs Sonics battle…Let’s talk NoC architecture

Arteris vs Sonics battle…Let’s talk NoC architecture
by Eric Esteve on 11-04-2011 at 6:23 am

The text of this very first article about Arteris had disapeared from Semiwiki, for an absolutely unknowed reason…If you have missed it, this is a pretty useful introduction to NoC concept, as well as to the legal battle between Arteris and Sonics:

The Network on Chip is a pretty recent concept. Let’s try to understand how … Read More