Fully Automating Chip Design

Fully Automating Chip Design
by Hans Bouwmeester on 05-23-2024 at 6:00 am

Figure 1
Design Productivity Gap

Twenty-five years ago, SEMATECH first alerted the world to a concern known as the design productivity gap: the observation that the ability to manufacture complex chips had started outpacing the capability of designers to create them by more than a factor of two. This concern was subsequently reiterated… Read More


Chips for America Act – Funding Failures & Foreigners or Saving Semiconductors?

Chips for America Act – Funding Failures & Foreigners or Saving Semiconductors?
by Robert Maire on 06-06-2021 at 6:00 am

Government Bailout

-A repeat of the auto industry bailout of self inflicted issues?
-Not just money but systemic change is needed
-Perhaps chips need an Elon led revolution like autos & space
-Govt $ need focus not thrown into existing spend avalanche.

 

Are chips a replay of the auto industry bailout a decade ago? Deja Vu all over again.

The… Read More


Chapter 2 – Constants of the Semiconductor Industry

Chapter 2 – Constants of the Semiconductor Industry
by Wally Rhines on 07-19-2019 at 6:00 am

In the mid 1980’s, Tommy George, then President of Motorola’s Semiconductor Sector, pointed out to me that the semiconductor revenue per unit area had been a constant throughout the history of the industry including the period when germanium transistors made up a large share of semiconductor revenue.  I began tracking the numbers… Read More


Inception of "Intel Inside"

Inception of "Intel Inside"
by kunalpghosh on 01-27-2016 at 7:00 am

Let me start with a quote:

“Competition is always a good thing. It forces us to do our best. A monopoly renders people complacent and satisfied with mediocrity.”– Nancy Pearcy

By the end of post, it will be quite evident that it was the competition that led to one of the classiest campaign “Intel Inside” for its processors. As I mentionedRead More


SEMATECH, Silvaco and SRAM

SEMATECH, Silvaco and SRAM
by Paul McLellan on 09-04-2015 at 7:00 am

SEMATECH has been around for over 20 years, starting in Austin. Today it is in upstate New York which increasingly seems to be the area for semiconductor research with IBM (still doing research although they sold their semiconductor business to GlobalFoundries), GlobalFoundries’ own Fab 8, the College of Nanoscale Science… Read More


Extending EUV Lithography

Extending EUV Lithography
by Scotten Jones on 06-12-2015 at 1:00 pm

I have previously written about SPIE day 1 and 2 so I want to wrap up my coverage with some impressions from days 3 and 4. My single biggest take away from the conference is that EUV has made tremendous progress in the last 12 months. Last year the mood of the conference was in my opinion pessimistic with respect to EUV, this year the mood… Read More


Intel NOT Inside Sematech?

Intel NOT Inside Sematech?
by Robert Maire on 03-05-2015 at 1:00 pm

Rumor that Intel has quit Sematech confirmed by website?
Potential industry impact-
Is this a consolidation by-product?
Do we need a trade group?
Does it benefit Intel?

We have heard from several sources over the last few days that Intel has quit Sematech, the semiconductor industry trade group focused on technology development… Read More


Novati Covers the Periodic Table

Novati Covers the Periodic Table
by Paul McLellan on 07-16-2013 at 4:59 pm

Novati is a semiconductor company that you probably haven’t heard of. It has its roots in Sematech back when Sematech was mainly in Austin rather than New York where it is today. The Sematech fab first became an independent company and then acquired by SVTC and operated under that name for 4 years. Finally, last the investors… Read More


Traditional Model of Funding Semiconductor Equipment is Broken?

Traditional Model of Funding Semiconductor Equipment is Broken?
by Paul McLellan on 08-07-2012 at 7:30 pm

At Semicon a few weeks ago the big news was that Intel was making a big investment in ASML as a way of funding two development programs: extreme ultra-violet (EUV) and 450mm wafers. This week TSMC announced that they would join the program too, committing 275M Euros over a five year period. They are also taking a 5% stake in ASML. ASML… Read More