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Cortex-A9 speed limits and PPA optimization

Cortex-A9 speed limits and PPA optimization
by Don Dingee on 12-19-2012 at 3:01 pm

We know by now that clock speeds aren’t everything when it comes to measuring the goodness of a processor. Performance has direct ties to pipeline and interconnect details, power factors into considerations of usability, and the unspoken terms of yield drive cost.

My curiosity kicked in when I looked at the recent press release… Read More


Intel not interested by NVELO? Samsung was…

Intel not interested by NVELO? Samsung was…
by Eric Esteve on 12-19-2012 at 3:06 am

Short news came during last week-end and Linkedin was the most efficient media to learn that NVELO has been acquired. Probably very few people out of the SSD ecosystem knew about NVELO. Based in Santa Clara, the company was a spin off from Denali, privately owned and if you look at the top management, you will recognize a few name, like… Read More


TSMC 28nm and 20nm Update Q4 2012

TSMC 28nm and 20nm Update Q4 2012
by Daniel Nenni on 12-16-2012 at 7:00 pm

The big news in Taiwan last week was another increase in TSMC capital expenditures to $9B in 2013. That number could grow however. Last year TSMC CAPEX was set at $6B and ended up at $8.3B due to rapid 28nm capacity expansion and an accelerated 20nm program. 2013 will be all about FinFETs and manufacturing Apple SoCs so $9B may not cover… Read More


When ARM and CEVA team-up for “Designing a Multi-core LTE-A Modem”

When ARM and CEVA team-up for “Designing a Multi-core LTE-A Modem”
by Eric Esteve on 12-11-2012 at 4:25 am

ARM and CEVA have launched a white paper, addressing one of the hottest topics of the day: LTE-Advanced modem architecture. This very exhaustive paper, written by David Maidment (Mobile Segment Manager, ARM), Chris Turner (Senior Product Manager, ARM) and Eyal Bergman (VP Product Marketing, Baseband & Connectivity, CEVA… Read More


Apple Will NOT Manufacture SoCs at Intel

Apple Will NOT Manufacture SoCs at Intel
by Daniel Nenni on 12-09-2012 at 5:00 pm

The internet is a funny place where rumors are true and truths are rumors. The latest one has Apple using Intel as a foundry. This is fuel for the rivalry between SemiWiki blogger Ed McKernan and me. Ed says Apple will use Intel, I say Apple will use TSMC, we have a very expensive dinner riding on this one.

TSMC falls on possible competitionRead More


How Apple Plans to Leverage Intel’s Foundry

How Apple Plans to Leverage Intel’s Foundry
by Ed McKernan on 12-09-2012 at 4:00 pm

Tim Cook’s strategy to disengage from Samsung as a supplier of LCDs, memory and processors while simultaneously creating a worldwide supply chain from the remnants of former leaders like Sharp, Elpida, Toshiba and soon Intel is remarkable in its scope and breadth. By 2014, Apple should have in place a supply chain for 500M iOS devices… Read More


Intel Taps The Debt Market: Should They Go Private?

Intel Taps The Debt Market: Should They Go Private?
by Ed McKernan on 12-06-2012 at 9:25 am

Intel’s ability this week to raise $6B in debt at rock bottom interest rates should give one a moment to pause and consider what this portends for the future of the company and whether it remains in public hands. We live in extraordinary times where a fiscally excessive government can sell 10 year treasuries at 1.6% and the largest … Read More


A Brief History of the Fabless Semiconductor Ecosystem

A Brief History of the Fabless Semiconductor Ecosystem
by Daniel Nenni on 12-05-2012 at 7:00 pm

Clearly the fabless semiconductor ecosystem is driving the semiconductor industry and is responsible for both the majority of the innovation and the sharp decline in consumer electronics costs we have experienced. By definition, a fabless semiconductor company does not have to spend the time and money on manufacturing related… Read More


ST Microelectronics: Strategic Options

ST Microelectronics: Strategic Options
by Paul McLellan on 12-01-2012 at 5:11 pm

ST Microelectronics announced yesterday that it would have a conference call on December 10th to announce its strategy going forward. ST has been struggling the last couple of years, with revenues down year to year. From 2010-2012 (the last an estimate of course) it did $10.3B, $9.6B and $8.4B so it has shrunk nearly 20% in 3 years.… Read More


GLOBALFOUNDRIES and Mentor Develop Methods to Identify Critical Features in IC Designs

GLOBALFOUNDRIES and Mentor Develop Methods to Identify Critical Features in IC Designs
by glforte on 11-28-2012 at 3:00 pm

Since the beginning of the semiconductor industry, improving the rate of yield learning has been a critical factor in the success silicon manufacturing. Each fab has dedicated yield teams that look at the yield of wafers manufactured the previous day and attempt to find the root cause of any unexpected “excursions.” In earlier… Read More