DVCon Europe is Coming Soon. Sign Up Now

DVCon Europe is Coming Soon. Sign Up Now
by Bernard Murphy on 10-31-2023 at 6:00 am

logo accellera min

I’m a fan of DVCon, a fan of Accellera and a fan of Munich, hosting DVCon Europe once again. This year’s event runs from November 14th through 15th (with some events on the 16th) at the Holiday Inn Munich in the City Center. Phillippe Notton (CEO, SiPearl) will deliver a keynote on “Energy Efficient High-Performance Computing in the… Read More


Developing Effective Mixed Signal Models. Innovation in Verification

Developing Effective Mixed Signal Models. Innovation in Verification
by Bernard Murphy on 10-30-2023 at 6:00 am

Innovation New

Mixed-signal modeling is becoming more important as interaction between digital and analog circuitry become more closely intertwined. This level of modeling depends critically on sufficiently accurate yet fast behavioral models for analog components. Paul Cunningham (Senior VP/GM, Verification at Cadence), Raúl Camposano… Read More


A New Ultra-Stable Resistivity Monitor for Ultra-Pure Water

A New Ultra-Stable Resistivity Monitor for Ultra-Pure Water
by Bernard Murphy on 10-26-2023 at 6:00 am

Resistivity sensor

I am straying from my normal range of topics here, but confess I am developing an interest in semiconductor metrology since it takes me back to my physics and math roots. Even better I get to learn about the state of the art in ultra-pure water for semiconductor applications, an area where resistivity monitors play a role since resistivity… Read More


Powering eMobility Through Silicon-Carbide Substrates

Powering eMobility Through Silicon-Carbide Substrates
by Bernard Murphy on 10-25-2023 at 6:00 am

SOITEC SEPTEMBRE 2023

While writing on infotainment and ADAS I sometimes wonder about the devices that make an EV run. These have nothing to do with digital or software wizardry. While logic and software play a role, the real heart of EV power is in power electronics driving motors, regenerative braking and charger options at home and on the road. Technologies… Read More


Qualcomm Insights into Unreachability Analysis

Qualcomm Insights into Unreachability Analysis
by Bernard Murphy on 10-17-2023 at 6:00 am

Unreachability

Unreachability (UNR) analysis, finding and definitively proving that certain states in a design cannot possibly be covered in testing, should be a wildly popular component in all verification plans. When the coverage needle stubbornly refuses to move, where should you focus testing creativity while avoiding provably untestable… Read More


Synopsys Panel Updates on the State of Multi-Die Systems

Synopsys Panel Updates on the State of Multi-Die Systems
by Bernard Murphy on 10-12-2023 at 6:00 am

multi die 525x315 light

Synopsys recently hosted a cross-industry panel on the state of multi-die systems which I found interesting not least for its relevance to the rapid acceleration in AI-centric hardware. More on that below. Panelists, all with significant roles in multi-die systems, were Shekhar Kapoor (Senior Director of Product Management,… Read More


Can Generative AI Recharge Phone Markets?

Can Generative AI Recharge Phone Markets?
by Bernard Murphy on 10-09-2023 at 10:00 am

Consensus on smartphone markets hovers somewhere between slight decline and slight growth indicating lack of obvious drivers for more robust growth. As a business opportunity this unappealing state is somewhat offset by sheer volume ($500B in 2023 according to one source) but we’re already close to peak adoption outside of … Read More


Assertion Synthesis Through LLM. Innovation in Verification

Assertion Synthesis Through LLM. Innovation in Verification
by Bernard Murphy on 09-28-2023 at 6:00 am

Innovation New

Assertion based verification is a very productive way to catch bugs, however assertions are hard enough to write that assertion-based coverage is not as extensive as it could be. Is there a way to simplify developing assertions to aid in increasing that coverage? Paul Cunningham (Senior VP/GM, Verification at Cadence), Raúl … Read More


Fast Path to Baby Llama BringUp at the Edge

Fast Path to Baby Llama BringUp at the Edge
by Bernard Murphy on 09-26-2023 at 10:00 am

Baby Llama min

Tis the season for transformer-centric articles apparently – this is my third within a month. Clearly this is a domain with both great opportunities and challenges: extending large language model (LLM) potential to new edge products and revenue opportunities, with unbounded applications and volumes yet challenges in meeting… Read More


Cadence Tensilica Spins Next Upgrade to LX Architecture

Cadence Tensilica Spins Next Upgrade to LX Architecture
by Bernard Murphy on 09-21-2023 at 6:00 am

Xtensa LX8 processor

When considering SoC architectures it is easy to become trapped in simple narratives. These assume the center of compute revolves around a central core or core cluster, typically Arm, more recently perhaps a RISC-V option. Throw in an accelerator or two and the rest is detail. But for today’s competitive products that view is a … Read More