Effect of Design on Transistor Density

Effect of Design on Transistor Density
by Scotten Jones on 05-26-2020 at 10:00 am

TSMC N7 Density Analysis SemiWiki

I have written a lot of articles looking at leading edge processes and comparing the process density. One comment I often get are that the process density numbers I present do not correlate with the actual transistor density on released products. A lot of people want to draw conclusions an Intel’s processes versus TSMC’s processes… Read More


MEMS Actuation and the Art of Prototyping

MEMS Actuation and the Art of Prototyping
by Bernard Murphy on 11-27-2019 at 5:00 am

Thermal actuator prototyping

I mentioned a while back that I’m really getting into the role that sensors play in our new hyper-connected world – in the IoT, intelligent cars, homes, cities, industry, utilities, medicine, agriculture, etc, etc. If we can think of a way to sense it and connect it, someone is probably already doing it. But there’s more to … Read More


Mentor-Tanner Illuminate MEMS Sensing, Fusion

Mentor-Tanner Illuminate MEMS Sensing, Fusion
by Bernard Murphy on 08-14-2019 at 6:00 am

I enjoy learning and writing about new technologies closely connected to our personal and working lives (the kind you could explain to your Mom or a neighbor). So naturally I’m interested in AI, communication and security as applied to the home automation, transportation, virtual, augmented and mixed reality, industry and so… Read More


At Last, Package and Chip integration for RF Design

At Last, Package and Chip integration for RF Design
by Tom Simon on 01-21-2019 at 7:00 am

It seems that it has always been that there were packages and ICs, and in the design tool world “never the twain shall meet”. The tools for designing packages were completely separate from the tools used to design IC’s. This was so profoundly true that even after Cadence merged with Valid Logic back in the early 90’s, their Allegro … Read More


Solving and Simulating in the New Virtuoso RF Solution

Solving and Simulating in the New Virtuoso RF Solution
by Tom Simon on 10-30-2018 at 12:00 pm

Cadence has done a good job of keeping up with the needs of analog RF designs. Of course, the term RF used to be reserved for a thin slice of designs that were used specifically in RF applications. Now, it covers things like SerDes for networking chips that have to operate in the gigahertz range. Add that to the trend of combining RF and… Read More


Accelerating Design and Manufacturing at the 25th Annual IEEE Electronic Design Process Symposium

Accelerating Design and Manufacturing at the 25th Annual IEEE Electronic Design Process Symposium
by Camille Kokozaki on 09-05-2018 at 12:00 pm

25th annual IEEE Electronic Design Process Symposium
Accelerating Design and Manufacturing
September 13 & 14, 2018, SEMI, 673 S. Milpitas Blvd, Milpitas, CA 95035

This year marks a milestone in EDPS’s history as it turns 25. The event will be held at SEMI’s new headquarter facility and will provide a forum for EDA, foundry … Read More


Webinar: NetSpeed is about to change the way SOCs are designed

Webinar: NetSpeed is about to change the way SOCs are designed
by Tom Simon on 08-20-2018 at 12:00 pm

A large part of the effort in designing SOCs has shifted to the integration of their constituent IP blocks. Many IP blocks used in SOCs come as ready to use components and the real work has become making them work together. Network on Chip (NoC) has been a huge help in this task, handling the interconnections between blocks and planning… Read More


Living on the (IoT) Edge

Living on the (IoT) Edge
by Tom Simon on 08-09-2018 at 12:00 pm

The phrase “where the rubber meets the road” is especially apt when it comes to discussions about the Internet of Things. The obvious interpretation is that dissimilar things are being put together in a mutually dependent fashion. When I hear the phrase I always think of the things that can go wrong, such a tire sliding instead of … Read More


Netspeed and NSITEXE talk about automotive design trends at 55DAC

Netspeed and NSITEXE talk about automotive design trends at 55DAC
by Tom Simon on 08-02-2018 at 12:00 pm

DAC is where both sides of the design equation come together for discussion and learning. This is what makes attending DAC discussion panels so interesting; you are going to hear from providers of tools, methodologies and IP as well as those who need to use them to deliver working solutions. There are few places where the interplay… Read More


Billion Transistor Designs Need Faster Full Chip Tools

Billion Transistor Designs Need Faster Full Chip Tools
by Tom Simon on 06-19-2018 at 12:00 pm

During the design cycle as tape out approaches, time pressure usually goes up dramatically. To make matters worse the design itself is much larger, because all the block level work is done and there is a requirement to work with the entire database. It feels like it’s time to put aside the garden trowel and start using a steam shovel.… Read More