Alphawave IP and the Evolution of the ASIC Business

Alphawave IP and the Evolution of the ASIC Business
by Daniel Nenni on 03-21-2022 at 6:00 am

Alphawave IP OpenFive

Alphawave IP has agreed to acquire OpenFive, a SiFive business unit (formerly Open-Silicon) for $210m in cash. Having spent many years in the ASIC business which included working with Open-Silicon, Alphawave, and OpenFive here is my perspective on the acquisition:

This acquisition accomplishes two things: First it trims down… Read More


Is the ASIC Business Dead?

Is the ASIC Business Dead?
by Daniel Nenni on 11-11-2019 at 10:00 am

We covered the ASIC business in Chapter 2 of our book “Fabless: The Transformation of the Semiconductor Industry” using VLSI Technology and eSilicon as shining examples. Neither of which now exist. The ASIC business model was a critical steppingstone in the transformation of the semiconductor industry. Many systems companies… Read More


Open-Silicon SiFive and Customizable Configurable IP Subsystems

Open-Silicon SiFive and Customizable Configurable IP Subsystems
by Daniel Nenni on 02-01-2019 at 12:00 pm

After 8 SemiWiki years, 4,386 published blogs, and more than 25 million blog views, I can tell you that IP is the most read semiconductor topic, absolutely, and that trend continues. Another correlating trend (from IP Nest) is the semiconductor IP revenue increase in relation to the semiconductor market (minus memory) which more… Read More


Ethernet Enhancements Enable Efficiencies

Ethernet Enhancements Enable Efficiencies
by Tom Simon on 12-25-2018 at 7:00 am

Up until 2016, provisioning Ethernet networks was a little bit like buying hot dogs and hot dog buns, in that you could not always match up the quantities to get the most efficient configuration. That dramatically changed when the specification for Ethernet FlexE was adopted by the Optical Internetworking Forum as OIF-FLEXE-01.0.… Read More


Open-Silicon Embraces the Latest ISO 9001 Specification with Certification by SGS

Open-Silicon Embraces the Latest ISO 9001 Specification with Certification by SGS
by Tom Simon on 11-07-2018 at 7:00 am

A quality standard that stays static and is not itself targeted for continuous improvement, is a standard that is breaking one of the first tenets of quality. This is why the ISO 9001 specification has been updated several times since its introduction in 1987. The first version was fairly modest. The most recent version was released… Read More


Custom SoC Platform Solutions for AI Applications at the TSMC OIP

Custom SoC Platform Solutions for AI Applications at the TSMC OIP
by Daniel Nenni on 09-27-2018 at 12:00 pm

The TSMC OIP event is next week and again it is packed with a wide range of technical presentations from TSMC, top semiconductor, EDA, and IP companies, plus long time TSMC partner and ASIC provider Open-Silicon, a SiFive Company. You can see the full agenda HERE.

AI is revolutionizing and transforming virtually every industry… Read More


Deep learning fueling the AI revolution with Interlaken IP Subsystem

Deep learning fueling the AI revolution with Interlaken IP Subsystem
by Daniel Nenni on 07-30-2018 at 7:00 am

AI is revolutionizing and transforming virtually every industry in the digital world. Advances in computing power and deep learning have enabled AI to reach a tipping point toward major disruption and rapid advancement. However, these applications require much higher performance and bandwidth requiring new kinds of IP and… Read More


TSMC OIP DAC Theater Schedule 2018

TSMC OIP DAC Theater Schedule 2018
by Daniel Nenni on 06-20-2018 at 6:00 am

The TSMC OIP DAC Theater schedule is finalized and ready to go. It kicks off Monday at 10:15 am in booth #1629 and ends with a raffle at 5:45 pm each day (Mon-Tue-Wed) TSMC gives out some very nice prizes so check in with the TSMC booth staff when you arrive. There are 66 coveted presentation spots representing the top ecosystem partners… Read More


Webinar: Custom SoCs for Narrowband IoT

Webinar: Custom SoCs for Narrowband IoT
by Daniel Nenni on 05-30-2018 at 7:00 am

This joint CEVA and Open-Silicon webinar, moderated by myself, will elaborate on Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) custom SoC solutions that are based on the CEVA-Dragonfly IP subsystem, and serve a wide range of cost- and power-sensitive IoT applications. Those joining the webinar will learn about the CEVA-Dragonfly NB1 IP subsystem,… Read More


Open-Silicon, Credo and IQ-Analog Provide Complete End-to-End Networking ASIC Solutions

Open-Silicon, Credo and IQ-Analog Provide Complete End-to-End Networking ASIC Solutions
by Camille Kokozaki on 04-26-2018 at 12:00 pm

The end-to-end principle as defined by Wikipedia is a design framework in computer networking. In networks designed according to this principle, application-specific features reside in the communicating end nodes of the network, rather than in intermediary nodes, such as gateways and routers, that exist to establish the … Read More