Rene Donkers, the company’s Co-founder and CEO, started his EDA career at Sagantec where he became responsible for world wide customer support and operations management. Ten years ago, Rene and a handful of people noticed a need in the design community for a standardized (portable) IP Validation approach to replace internal… Read More
I had the opportunity to preview an upcoming webinar from Synopsys on SoC Glitch Power – what it is and how to reduce it. There is some eye-opening information in this webinar. Glitch power is a bigger problem than you may think and Synopsys has some excellent strategies to help reduce the problem. The webinar is available via replay… Read More
A little over a month ago, I wrote about the substantial support that Silicon Catalyst and Arm were providing for chip startups. There have been many incubators for technology companies over the years. These organizations typically provide office space, some basic infrastructure, advisory help and sometimes access to seed … Read More
Alchip was founded in 2003 by a group of Silicon Valley veterans that followed a similar path of working for semiconductor companies then moving to the EDA/IP/ASIC ecosystem. In fact, I used to play basketball with the Alchip co-founder/chairman during that time and can tell you he is a fierce competitor. Good thing too because … Read More
I always enjoy welcoming new corporate members to the SemiWiki platform. Each company brings new technology, a different perspective and the opportunity for the SemiWiki community to hear about another aspect of chip design and manufacturing. But this introduction is different. This time, a new corporate member is opening … Read More
Self-aligned quadruple patterning (SAQP) is the most widely available technology used for patterning feature pitches less than 38 nm, with a projected capability to reach 19 nm pitch. It is actually an integration of multiple process steps, already being used to pattern the fins of FinFETs [1] and 1X DRAM [2]. These steps, shown… Read More
An industry caught in the crosshairs of geopolitics needs global emeritus leadership
The semiconductor industry is at the epicenter of great power politics. An ascendant China is on a quest for a unified global system with China as the leading power. The United States seeks to maintain its position as leader of the liberal democratic… Read More
The life of a SoC designer is an unenviable one. Not only does he have to work in a landscape where competition is intense but he also has to collaborate effectively with globally dispersed teams to ensure the design meets the project timeline. Then there are also the risks, more so in the current pandemic! There is the constant fear… Read More
The worldwide economic outlook is chaotic due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The outlook for the semiconductor market is also very uncertain. 1Q 2020 revenue versus 4Q 2019 was mixed for major semiconductor companies, ranging from a 19% decline for STMicroelectronics to 9.9% growth from Kioxia (previously Toshiba Semiconductor).
