HW Prototyping and HLS at DAC

HW Prototyping and HLS at DAC
by Daniel Payne on 06-28-2013 at 12:20 pm

I love it when EDA companies send their engineers to DAC because I learn more of the unvarnished truth about their products. I met with Bill Thomas of Aldec to get an update on their HW prototyping boards, then two NEC engineers to learn about High Level Synthesis.

HW Prototyping

Bill Thomas, Research Engineer at Aldec
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A 3D Field Solver for Parasitic Extraction Thermal ESD Analysis

A 3D Field Solver for Parasitic Extraction Thermal ESD Analysis
by Daniel Payne on 06-27-2013 at 2:38 pm

The smaller the process node the more necessary it is that you extract accurate parasitics from interconnect and 3D structures in order to analyze timing, thermal effects and ESD compliance. Silicon Frontlinehas EDA tools in all three of these categories, so I met with Dermott Lynchat DAC to get an annual update.


Dermott Lynch,Read More


Aart: Technomic Push-Pull

Aart: Technomic Push-Pull
by Paul McLellan on 06-26-2013 at 11:00 pm

Aart de Geus gave one of the visionary look to the next 50 years of EDA as a warmup to Stephen Wu’s keynote. EDA is enabling the greatest push-pull ever, part of an exponential change on a scale never before seen.

Technologies seem to go through a 50 year technical push phase (driven by improving the technology) followed by a 50… Read More


Kathryn Kranen: The Problem with EDA is…

Kathryn Kranen: The Problem with EDA is…
by Paul McLellan on 06-25-2013 at 5:35 pm

Kathryn Kranen, CEO of Jasper Design Automation, got to give her view of the future of EDA on the Thursday of DAC. For many years she has been on the EDAC board and is currently chair. When she first was on the board she talked to many of the stakeholders in the EDA ecosystem: EDA companies, IP companies, semiconductor companies, academics,… Read More


Full Visibility in ASIC Prototypes at DAC

Full Visibility in ASIC Prototypes at DAC
by Daniel Payne on 06-24-2013 at 3:46 pm

ASIC prototyping from multiple vendors using FPGA boards was popular at DAC again this year in Austin, Texas. I stopped by the Tektronix booth for a few minutes to meet with Dave Orecchio to get an update.


Dave Orecchio (right), TektronixRead More


Fujitsu, Mediatek, Richtek and Synopsys om Custom IC Design

Fujitsu, Mediatek, Richtek and Synopsys om Custom IC Design
by Daniel Payne on 06-24-2013 at 3:01 pm

Synopsys has been acquiring EDA and IP companies at a fast clip over the past few years and it’s often made me wonder how they are going to craft a coherent tool flow for custom IC design. At DACthis year I learned that for schematic capture the winning tool is Custom Designer SE– a relatively new tool, while the IC layout… Read More


Pat Pistilli: the first cell library, the first computer-printed label and more

Pat Pistilli: the first cell library, the first computer-printed label and more
by Paul McLellan on 06-22-2013 at 1:45 pm

At the DAC 50th anniversary banquet, Pat Pistilli won the award for most tenacious attendee, having been to all 50 DACs. Well, and for creating DAC and sustaining it. He was general chair for the first DAC (not yet called DAC) and, of course, would eventually form MP Associates with his wife Marie, which still runs DAC today. In 2010… Read More