Apple iPhone Super Cycle Update!

Apple iPhone Super Cycle Update!
by Daniel Nenni on 09-01-2017 at 7:00 am

In 2014 Apple released the iPhone 6 which included the first SoC built on a TSMC (20nm) process. This phone started what many call a “Super Cycle” of people upgrading. According to Apple, they now have more than 1 billion activated devices so this super cycle could be seriously super, absolutely.… Read More


Synopsys Opens up on Emulation

Synopsys Opens up on Emulation
by Bernard Murphy on 07-31-2017 at 7:00 am

Synopsys hosted a lunch panel on Tuesday of DAC this year, in which verification leaders from Intel, Qualcomm, Wave Computing, NXP and AMD talked about how they are using Synopsys verification technologies. Panelists covered multiple domains but the big takeaway for me was their full-throated endorsement of the ZeBu emulation… Read More


Applying ISO 26262 in a Fabless Ecosystem – DAC Panel Discussion

Applying ISO 26262 in a Fabless Ecosystem – DAC Panel Discussion
by Tom Simon on 07-18-2017 at 12:00 pm

The fabless movement was instrumental in disaggregating the semiconductor industry. Vertical product development at the chip and system level has given way to a horizontal structure over the years. This organization of product development has been doing an admirable job of delivering extremely reliable products. However… Read More


ARM’s (Back!) in FD-SOI. NXP’s Showing (Real!) Chips.

ARM’s (Back!) in FD-SOI. NXP’s Showing (Real!) Chips.
by Adele Hars on 05-10-2017 at 7:00 am

“Yes, we’re back,” Ron Moore, VP of ARM’s physical design group told a packed ballroom at the recent FD-SOI Symposium organized in Silicon Valley by the SOI Consortium. FD-SOI gives you a silicon platform that’s highly controllable, enables ultra-low power devices, and is really good with RF, said Ron Moore during his presentation,… Read More


Semiconductors flat for second straight year

Semiconductors flat for second straight year
by Bill Jewell on 12-20-2016 at 4:00 pm

The global semiconductor market posted strong 11.6% growth in 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] quarter 2016 from 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] quarter, according to WSTS. This strength is reflected in the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] quarter revenue growth reported by the major semiconductor suppliers. Of the 12 companies, half (Intel, Samsung, Broadcom, TI, Micron… Read More


2016 semiconductor capex highest in 5 years

2016 semiconductor capex highest in 5 years
by Bill Jewell on 10-25-2016 at 4:00 pm

Global semiconductor capital expenditures (capex) are expected to return to the level of 2011 either this year or next. 2011 was the record year for capex as the industry returned to growth following the 2009-2010 recession. IC Insights’ August 2016 forecast called for 3.5% growth in capital spending to reach $67.1 billion, the… Read More


SOC Design Techniques that Enable Autonomous Vehicles

SOC Design Techniques that Enable Autonomous Vehicles
by Tom Simon on 10-11-2016 at 4:00 pm

Robots – we have all been waiting for them since we were young. We watched Star Wars, or in the case of the slightly longer-lived of us, we watched Forbidden Planet or Lost in Space. We knew that our future robot friends would be able to move around and interact with their environment. What we did not foresee long ago was that instead of… Read More


Why are Top Brass from NXP, Qualcomm, Skyworks Keynoting Upcoming IEEE SOI-3D-SubVt (S3S) Conference? (San Francisco, Oct.’16)

Why are Top Brass from NXP, Qualcomm, Skyworks Keynoting Upcoming IEEE SOI-3D-SubVt (S3S) Conference? (San Francisco, Oct.’16)
by Adele Hars on 08-25-2016 at 12:00 pm

By Fred Allibert
The IEEE S3S Conference (10-13 October 2016 at the San Francisco Airport Hyatt Regency) brings together 3 key technologies that will play a major role in tomorrow’s industry: SOI, 3D integration, and Subthreshold Microelectronics. The numerous degrees of freedom they allow enable the ultra-low power operation… Read More


Brexit and Semiconductors

Brexit and Semiconductors
by Daniel Nenni on 07-01-2016 at 7:00 am

Interesting news last week with 51.9% of British voters saying yes to Brexit (exiting the European Union). What does it have to do with semiconductors? Plenty! After reading the media’s take on the subject and talking to friends (experts) in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, I must say that there is not a consensus to be found and there… Read More