Business Models: EDA Is Software But It Used To Be Sold As Hardware

Business Models: EDA Is Software But It Used To Be Sold As Hardware
by Paul McLellan on 09-03-2015 at 7:00 am

Business models are really important. Just ask any internet startup company that has lots of eyeballs and is trying to work out how to monetize them. It is a lot easier to get people to use something for free, much harder to get people to pay for something especially when they don’t value it much. Different companies that look… Read More


A Security Idea for EDA / Embedded Design

A Security Idea for EDA / Embedded Design
by Bernard Murphy on 08-25-2015 at 4:00 pm

I’m on a mission to find novel ideas for EDA / embedded design tools. One I have been discussing on and off with a DARPA friend for at least a couple of years is how to grade the security of a hardware design or, more comprehensively, the security of an embedded system including hardware and the software running on the hardware.

This feels… Read More


My Tryst with Semiconductors and EDA

My Tryst with Semiconductors and EDA
by Pawan Fangaria on 08-19-2015 at 4:00 pm

Yes, today I realize it feels like a tryst with semiconductors. In actual meaning; it wasn’t a love affair with semiconductors, but I must say the greatest thing it taught me about how it approaches towards perfection. And that became the guiding principle in my life; how can I do something better. Of course nothing is perfect in life… Read More


My Candid Conversation with Karen Bartleson

My Candid Conversation with Karen Bartleson
by Pawan Fangaria on 08-16-2015 at 7:30 am

If you don’t know about Karen Bartleson, before I get into details, let me tell you that she was the President of IEEE-SA for the past 2 years and has been nominated by the IEEE Board of Directors as one of the candidates for IEEE President-Elect for 2016. The IEEE is an organization I admire as it plays a key role in advancing technology… Read More


What Does Legal Sea Foods Have to Do With EDA?

What Does Legal Sea Foods Have to Do With EDA?
by Paul McLellan on 08-11-2015 at 7:00 am

When I drive down to Silicon Valley I usually listen to podcasts rather than just listen to the radio. One that I especially like is Russ Robert’s EconTalk, which has an hour-long episode every Monday morning on a wide range of different aspects of Economics. Normally he interviews an economist. He has also interviewed the… Read More


IBM Design Tools in the Cloud: Big News or Old News?

IBM Design Tools in the Cloud: Big News or Old News?
by Paul McLellan on 06-19-2015 at 7:00 am

One announcement that I missed coming up to the Design Automation Conference last week was that SiCAD is hosting a portfolio of IBM’s design automation tools in the cloud. Supposedly these are priced half the cost of similar capability from Cadence, Synopsys and Mentor. So should the big three be worried? Is this an earth-shattering… Read More


Application Specific Integrated Comedy

Application Specific Integrated Comedy
by Paul McLellan on 06-11-2015 at 7:00 am

Tuesday night I got to meet an old colleague. OK, this is DAC, that is hardly a story. I was at the Synopsys media dinner and John Koeter handed out free wristbands to the Stars of IP party taking place later that evening. Remember, Synopsys is #3 in IP overall and #1 in interface IP. Talking of which, earlier in the day I was at the Synopsys… Read More


WarpStor, the Data Tardis: Small on the Outside, Large on the Inside

WarpStor, the Data Tardis: Small on the Outside, Large on the Inside
by Paul McLellan on 05-28-2015 at 7:00 am

There is a data explosion:

  • IBM says that 90% of all data was created in the last 2 years
  • Smartphone processor development requires 100GB of data per engineer
  • Android testing requires 30GB times the number of tests times the number of testers
  • Biotech simulation, game development and more all require enormous amounts of data

This … Read More


Synopsys Earnings Call

Synopsys Earnings Call
by Paul McLellan on 05-27-2015 at 12:00 am

Synopsys had their earnings announcement and call last week. They were good. In Aart’s own words:I’m happy to report that our second quarter results were very strong and solidify our outlook for the full year. We delivered revenue of $557 million, non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.68 and $155 million in operation cash flow.Read More


How Good Is Your Library? Are You Sure?

How Good Is Your Library? Are You Sure?
by Paul McLellan on 05-26-2015 at 7:00 am

 

One task that is not very exciting but is critical is that of library quality assurance. Many design groups have created their own procedures, often having been burned in the past, to ensure that the libraries that they use are good. Failure to do so has resulted in:… Read More