800x100 Efficient and Robust Memory Verification (2)

Clock Domain Crossing (CDC) Verification

Clock Domain Crossing (CDC) Verification
by Paul McLellan on 02-21-2011 at 6:12 pm

Multiple, independent clocks are quintessential in SoCs and other complex ASICs today. In some cases, such as in large communications processors, clock domains may number in the hundreds. Clock domain crossings pose a growing challenge to chip designers, and constitute a major source of design errors–errors that canRead More


Mentor Graphics Should Be Acquired or Sold: Carl Icahn COUNTERPOINT

Mentor Graphics Should Be Acquired or Sold: Carl Icahn COUNTERPOINT
by Daniel Nenni on 02-20-2011 at 7:04 pm


Daniel,

On Jan 20th, you criticized that the EDA models are all broken and need to change. Ridiculing Synpsys, Cadence, Mentor and Magma for not agreeing to ‘pay for success’ type of model (some form of royalties).

On Feb 14th, you state thatIcahn doesn’t understand EDA and should stay out. Maybe he is seeing … Read More


Mentor Graphics to Participate in SemiWiki.com Social Media Platform

Mentor Graphics to Participate in SemiWiki.com Social Media Platform
by admin on 02-17-2011 at 8:16 am


San Jose, Calif., [DATE], 2011 – SemiWiki.com today announced that Mentor Graphics, a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, will participate in the SemiWiki.com global social media platform aimed at facilitating mass communication for electronic design professionals through Web 2.0 technologies.… Read More


Source of IP: Silicon foundries provides 18% of Design IP blocks, IP vendors only 16% to Fabless

Source of IP: Silicon foundries provides 18% of Design IP blocks, IP vendors only 16% to Fabless
by Eric Esteve on 02-16-2011 at 12:50 pm

Thanks to the Semiconductor Ecosystem Survey from GSA-Wharton and the key indicators of semiconductor companies’ technology strategies related to IP:

  • IP Reuse: On average, a fabless semiconductor company reuses about 63% of design IP in the revision of an existing product design and about 44% in a new product design.
  • Source
Read More

Semiconductor Social Networking Survey Results

Semiconductor Social Networking Survey Results
by Daniel Nenni on 02-15-2011 at 9:30 pm

The credit here goes to Atrenta for surveying their customer base in an effort to open up new communication channels for in-demand content using Web 2.0 technologies. The results are not surprising to me but they may be to other semiconductor ecosystem executives who do not get Social Media at all!

I have been using LinkedIn for five+… Read More


The Looming IP Explosion

The Looming IP Explosion
by Steve Moran on 02-15-2011 at 10:58 am

There has been a lot of talk about the fluid role of IP in semiconductor design. With the Synopsys acquisition of Virage Logic the playing field has tilted substantially in favor of Synopsys… or maybe not!

At first glance this acquisition appears to be a huge threat to EDA and IP companies allowing Synopsys to “throw in” IP asRead More


Mentor Graphics Should Be Acquired or Sold: Carl Icahn

Mentor Graphics Should Be Acquired or Sold: Carl Icahn
by Daniel Nenni on 02-12-2011 at 5:42 pm

The big EDA news last week of course was the CNBC interview (HERE) with infamous corporate raider Carl Icahn. Carl is not happy with Mentor Executives, nor is Mentor investor Donald Drapkin who said, and I quote, “It’s just a sleepy company run like a country club”. Carl and Donald’s combined MENT investment is 20%+ … Read More


New ERC Tools Catch Design Errors

New ERC Tools Catch Design Errors
by glforte on 02-11-2011 at 2:18 pm

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A growing number of reports highlight a class of design errors that is difficult to check using more traditional methods, and can potentially affect a wide range of IC designs, especially where high reliability is a must.By Matthew Hogan

Today’s IC designs are complex. They contain vast arrays of features and functionality in Read More


EDA and Wall Street

EDA and Wall Street
by Paul McLellan on 02-11-2011 at 1:25 pm

Good news in a way: Merrill Lynch (or Bank of America Merrill Lynch as I suppose we have to get used to calling them) have re-started coverage of EDA with a 20 page report on the industry, much of which is spent on explaining how the industry segments out and who is strong in which segments, stuff that most people reading this site already… Read More


DRC+, DFM, CMP, Variablility

DRC+, DFM, CMP, Variablility
by Daniel Payne on 02-10-2011 at 12:42 pm

When I worked at Intel as a circuit design engineer I could talk directly with the technology development engineers to understand how to really push my DRAM designs and get the smallest possible memory cell layout that would still yield well, provide fast access time, and long refresh cycles.

(United States Patent 6661699. Inventor:… Read More