Semiconductors, Apple Pie, and the 4th of July!

Semiconductors, Apple Pie, and the 4th of July!
by Daniel Nenni on 07-04-2023 at 6:00 am

Happy 4th of July 1024x768

Semiconductors, apple pie, and the 4th of July are American traditions. You can read about the history of semiconductors in our book “Fabless: The Transformation of the Semiconductor Industry” and the history of Arm in our book “Mobile Unleashed: The Origin and Evolution of Arm processors in our Devices“.… Read More


A preview of Weebit Nano at DAC – with commentary from ChatGPT

A preview of Weebit Nano at DAC – with commentary from ChatGPT
by Daniel Nenni on 07-03-2023 at 6:00 am

Weebit Amir Regev Demo Screenshot

Weebit Nano, a provider of advanced non-volatile memory (NVM) IP, will be exhibiting at the Design Automation Conference (DAC) this month. As part of this briefing I shared some of the basic the details with ChatGPT to see how it would phrase things. Here is some of what it suggested: “You won’t want to miss out on the epic experience… Read More


A Negative Problem for Large Language Models

A Negative Problem for Large Language Models
by Bernard Murphy on 05-23-2023 at 6:00 am

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I recently read a thought-provoking article in Quanta titled Chatbots Don’t Know What Stuff Isn’t. The point of the article is that while large language models (LLMs) such as GPT, Bard and their brethren are impressively capable, they stumble on negation. An example offered in the article suggests that while a prompt, “Is it true… Read More


Why Generative AI for Chip Design is a Game Changer

Why Generative AI for Chip Design is a Game Changer
by Daniel Nenni on 05-22-2023 at 10:00 am

Efabless AI Generated Design Challenge SemiWiki 1

AI-generated chip design is progressing at an incredible pace!

Earlier this week, I wrote about the Efabless AI Generated Open–Source Silicon Design Challenge.  If you haven’t done so already, take a closer look at the challenge and see first-hand what this is all about.  In talking to Mike Wishart and Mohamed Kassem, co-founders… Read More


Opinions on Generative AI at CadenceLIVE

Opinions on Generative AI at CadenceLIVE
by Bernard Murphy on 05-18-2023 at 6:00 am

Generative AI

According to some AI dreamers, we’re almost there. We’ll no longer need hardware or software design experts—just someone to input basic requirements from which fully realized system technologies will drop out the other end. Expert opinions in the industry are enthusiastic but less hyperbolic. Bob O’Donnell, president, founder… Read More


More Software-Based Testing, Less Errata

More Software-Based Testing, Less Errata
by Bernard Murphy on 04-24-2023 at 6:00 am

Palladium Protium

In verification there is an ever-popular question, “When can we stop verifying?” The intent behind the question is “when will we have found all the important bugs?” but the reality is that you stop verifying when you run out of time. Any unresolved bugs appear in errata lists delivered with the product (some running to 100 or more … Read More


Autonomy Lost without Nvidia

Autonomy Lost without Nvidia
by Roger C. Lanctot on 04-04-2023 at 10:00 am

Autonomy Lost without Nvidia

Five years ago Uber nearly singlehandedly wiped out the prospect of a self-driving car industry with the inept management of its autonomous vehicle testing in Phoenix which led to a fatal crash. The massive misstep instantly vaporized tens of billions of dollars of Uber’s market cap and sent the company’s robotaxi development… Read More


Mercedes, VW Caught in TikTok Blok

Mercedes, VW Caught in TikTok Blok
by Roger C. Lanctot on 03-23-2023 at 10:00 am

Mercedes VW Caught in TikTok Blok

Thirteen years ago, General Motors announced the introduction of a voice-enabled integration of Facebook in its cars. The announcement reflected the irresistible urge to please consumers and lead the market.

Today, multiple car makers are introducing games, streaming video, and social media apps, the most prominent of which… Read More


Narrow AI vs. General AI vs. Super AI

Narrow AI vs. General AI vs. Super AI
by Ahmed Banafa on 03-22-2023 at 10:00 am

Narrow AI vs. General AI vs. Super AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a term used to describe machines that can perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation. AI is classified into three main types: Narrow AI, General AI, and Super AI. Each type of AI has its unique… Read More


Multi-Die Systems Key to Next Wave of Systems Innovations

Multi-Die Systems Key to Next Wave of Systems Innovations
by Kalar Rajendiran on 03-07-2023 at 10:00 am

Shift to Multi Die Systems is Happening Now

These days, the term chiplets is referenced everywhere you look, in anything you read and in whatever you hear. Rightly so because the chiplets or die integration wave is taking off. Generally speaking, the tipping point that kicked off the move happened around the 16nm process technology when large monolithic SoCs started facing… Read More