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Smartphones in the BRICs

Smartphones in the BRICs
by Paul McLellan on 06-24-2011 at 2:45 pm

The latest edition of GSA Forum has an article by Aveek Sarkar of Apache on system design for emerging market needs. The BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) type countries are characterized by a small rich segment, a large and growing middle class and a large poor segment. One big trend is that smart phone use is expanding very fast.… Read More


OpenAccess

OpenAccess
by Paul McLellan on 06-21-2011 at 1:11 pm

Probably everyone knows that openAccess is a layout database. It was originally developed at Cadence (called Genesis) but has since been transferred to Si2. Strictly speaking, openAccess is actually an API and the database is a reference implementation. The code is licensed under a sort of halfway to open-source: you can use … Read More


Can Your Router Handle 28 nm?

Can Your Router Handle 28 nm?
by Beth Martin on 06-20-2011 at 7:11 pm

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With the adoption of the 32/28 nm process node, some significant new challenges in digital routing arise—including complex design rule checking (DRC) and design for manufacturing (DFM) rules, increasing rule counts, very large (1 billion transistor) designs. To meet quality, time-to-market, and cost targets, design teams… Read More


Semiconductor IP State of the Union

Semiconductor IP State of the Union
by Daniel Nenni on 06-19-2011 at 10:15 am

After the mega IP acquisitions last year by Cadence (Denali) and Synopsys (Virage) a lot of people are wondering what is next for the commercial Semiconductor IP market. Let me offer my opinion as a person who works closely with foundries and their top customers and the opinion of Dr. Eric Esteve, an expert on interface IP.

The commercial… Read More


Circuit Simulation and IC Layout update from Mentor at DAC

Circuit Simulation and IC Layout update from Mentor at DAC
by Daniel Payne on 06-17-2011 at 7:06 pm

Intro
On Monday evening I talked with Linda Fosler, Director of marketing for the DSM Division at Mentor about what’s new at DAC this year in circuit simulation and IC layout tools.

Notes
IC Station – old name for IC layout tools

Eldo – Eldo Classic- Cell characterization
– ST is the early customer and teaching customer,… Read More


DRC tool guns for Calibre at DAC

DRC tool guns for Calibre at DAC
by Daniel Payne on 06-17-2011 at 6:48 pm

Intro
Across the aisle from the Mentor booth at DAC sat a DRC tool competitor to Calibre. I received an update from Randy Smith of Polyteda on Wednesday afternoon, my last EDA vendor of the week.

Ravi Ravikumar, Randy Smith

Notes
Randy Smith – CEO (February 2011) [former founder is gone]- 1979 at HP developing internal tools
–… Read More


An Affordable 3D Field Solver at DAC

An Affordable 3D Field Solver at DAC
by Daniel Payne on 06-17-2011 at 6:35 pm

Intro
Massimo Sivilotti, Ph.D of Tanner EDA showed me their 3D field solver in the HiPer PX extraction tool at DAC last week.

Notes

Tool Suites – schematics, layout, SPICE simulation, DRC/LVS
– HiPer PX: 3D Field solvero Layers, dielectrics,
o Finite element analysis
o Boundary element methods
o 2D mode for pattern matching… Read More


Hardware Configuration Management at DAC

Hardware Configuration Management at DAC
by Daniel Payne on 06-17-2011 at 6:20 pm

Intro
Show me what has changed in my RTL or Schematic since the last time I looked. This task is now automated by Cliosoft with their new hierarchical tool called Visual Design Difference (VDD). Srinath showed me what was new for DAC.


Srinath Anantharaman

Notes
LSI, STMicro – use DesignSync for their DM but use VDD for seeing visual… Read More


Circuit Simulation update from Cadence at DAC

Circuit Simulation update from Cadence at DAC
by Daniel Payne on 06-17-2011 at 6:06 pm

Intro
In the bloggers suite I met with John Pierce of Cadence last Wednesday to get an update on what’s new with circuit simulation at DAC this year.

Notes

News – market is growing, RF CMOS simulation is growing
– Show on RF (MTT – Microwave Technology ) this week, sharing a booth with AWR this week
Recent news withRead More


Reduced IC leakage at DAC

Reduced IC leakage at DAC
by Daniel Payne on 06-17-2011 at 5:46 pm

Intro
Neal Carney, VP of Marketing at Tela Innovations provided me an update at DAC last week. Their company partnered with TSMC to reduce leakage in IC designs by biasing the gate lengths on your paths that are non-critical to timing.

Notes

Why do this?
– Reduce leakage
– Increase gate lengths on paths with slack
–… Read More