I love all things SPICE so when I read a tweet tonight from @PartSimI just had to try out their Schematic Capture and SPICE circuit simulator in a browser. The site is www.partsim.com and all you need is a web browser and short registration process, then it’s off to the Examples where I found a simple CMOS inverter and then extended it to be two inverters:
Continue reading “Online Schematic Capture and SPICE Circuit Simulation”
The Common Platform Alliance — IBM, Samsung Electronics, Co., Ltd., and GLOBALFOUNDRIES — continues to redefine the landscape of the semiconductor industry with its groundbreaking collaboration. Join us at our 2013 Common Platform Technology Forumon Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at the Santa Clara Convention Center as we showcase the latest technological advances being delivered to the world’s leading electronics companies.
Real Collaboration = Big Business
At the Common Platform Technology Forum, you’ll see and hear firsthand how the combined expertise of our partners is addressing the most demanding IC design and manufacturing challenges. Our collaborative research and innovative technology development have resulted in an accelerated roadmap and rapid customer adoption, and we’ll touch upon these key highlights:
Plus:
And, visionary keynotes by IBM, Samsung, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, and ARM.
Register now for this FREE technical event!
When mentioning CEVA DSP IP cores, the first reaction is to think about the complexes DSP functions used into wireless Modem Application like 3G and Long Term Evolution (LTE). Considering that CEVA market share is above 70% for these products, such a reaction makes sense. But did you knew that CEVA DSP IP cores are also empowering audio/voice devices, in wireless (handset, smartphones) applications requiring ultra low power consumption, as well as in consumer oriented (non wireless) applications, where the highest performance is key?
If you still have a doubt about CEVA positioning in this field, just have a look at CEVA–powered audio/voice device (ie: IC, not cores!) shipments over 2008-2012: more than 2 Billion cumulated shipments of IC integrating CEVA DSP IP cores tailored for audio or voice application:
The explosion of smartphones shipments has obviously put a strong focus on the Application processor and Baseband modem shipments, respectively empowered by the main CPU and DSP IP cores, delivered by ARM Ltd. and CEVA respectively. But, as well as ARM is investing the graphic market with their MALI GPU core family, CEVA has invested the Audio/Voice market with the Teak Lite family. Looking at smartphone block diagram, you can find this DSP located in three main places:
[LIST=1]
[LIST=1]
[LIST=1]
As usual, a precise picture (Credit: The Linley Group) will help to clearly understand the DSP positioning within (1), (2) and (3):
It’s impressive to see how voice processing in mobile handsets is allocated with increasing DSP MIPS (200-300MHz today), to meet new requirements (higher bandwidth vocoders, noise suppression, ANC like in the iPhone 5 and more), calling for Audio/Voice dedicated DSP offering up to 500 MHz MIPS in the very near future, say in 2015.
The race for performance is even more critical in CE market segments, with emergence of connected or smart TV, integrating camera and microphones. CEVA proposes a solid roadmap for the Teak Lite (TL) 32 bit DSP core family:
the TeakLite III is being integrated in products shipping today in production, allowing customers to implement their own software in the audio codec to help differentiate their products from the competition.
The next architecture generation based on the TeakLite 4 DSP core, will offer a framework of Application Specific DSP IP core, in order to provide the best Power/Performance/Area (PPA) optimization for the targeted application, including the future high end home or gaming applications, yet to come, that will require even higher performances for audio/voice processing – the 500 MHz MIPS already mentioned.
The TeakLite 4 DSP IP core family is more than just another DSP IP core, CEVA understood how efficient it was for customers to benefit from a platform, rather than simply a naked core. That is, the platform offer integrates the various folowing features, I should say differentiators:
Last, but not least, CEVA has understood very early that the success of a processor core (whether it’s a CPU, DSP or GPU) will not only be based on the most advanced architecture (necessary condition, but not sufficing) but also on the long term building of a large ecosystem, made of SW developers partners, IP vendors, Silicon Foundries, EDA tools vendors… and satisfied customers! Sounds familiar when you remind how ARM Ltd has built his position of #1 IP vendor. Both companies are on the same track, one with CPU, the other with DSP, and we don’t see how they could lose their respective leader position, one with DSP (CEVA), one with CPU (ARM).
Eric Esteve from IPNEST –
Last month the folks at Tektronix did something very useful, they invited 30 engineers to talk directly with their chief engineer of embedded instrumentation as part of “Meet the Experts” in Santa Clara, CA.
Brad Quinton, Chief Architect created a new and efficient approach of embedding instrumentation in your ASIC design when doing an FPGA prototype. His start-up company was called Veridae and they were acquired by Tektronix in 2011.
Don Dingee and I have been blogging about this new technology for a few months now:
Most EDA companies today will buffer their development team from the actual end-users in hopes that the marketing folks can keep everyone happy and productive. Only the start-up companies allow their developers to directly meet and interact with the engineers that could use the technology, and the rewards are great:
At the December 11th event there were engineers from several companies leanring about Tek’s new software called Certus 2.0:
If you’d be interested in attending the next “Meet the Experts” then leave a comment below and I’ll let you know when and where it will be held.
It seems only appropriate that at the beginning of the year we should look at who is going to be the next significant threat to Apple’s profitability machine. During Apple’s meteoric rise over the past 9 years (APPL share price: Jan-2004 @ $11 vs. Jan-2013 @ $550) different companies have been put up as Apple’s next significant threat or competitor. At various times we have heard that next impediment to Apple’s success is IBM, Samsung, Google, Sony, Intel, HP, Nokia, Microsoft, etc. The list is long, yet none of them makes much of a dent in Apple’s profitability or market cap. In fact, Apple’s market cap is more than twice any of those listed here and traded on Nasdaq.
One factor is that Apple gets its revenue from many sources – smart phones, laptop computers, desktop computers, tablets, media content, licensing, software, services, handhelds players (iPod), and peripherals. As of July 2012, about 73% of Apple’s revenue was coming from iPhone and iPad. None of these competitors above is in all of these markets. Apple leverages its broad base of revenue to target competitors in certain segments. Also keep in mind that margins vary by segment.
Figure 1. Apple Changing Revenue Mix
There has been tremendous concentration on Google as a threat to Apple. This comes from the fact that the ‘mobile internet’ is viewed as a fast growing and highly valued market. For Google, this is also a ‘special’ advertising conduit. The last similar market was probably the desktop operating system market in which Microsoft was a runaway winner. Many people predict that the mobile internet will also be primarily a winner-take-all-market. Microsoft failed at its first offerings in this segment and is hoping its latest offering will succeed – I doubt it based on what I have seen so far. The current war has multiple OS fronts – smart phone, tablets, home set tops, etc. But Google’s revenue comes primarily from advertising – wouldn’t that make Facebook a more significant competitor to Google? It doesn’t matter, Apple is taking all of the profits from the segment.
What I see is that these devices have moved well beyond being a smart phone. iPods are becoming less important for Apple since the same function is in the iPhone – plus the iPhone has a camera, movie player, eBook reader, etc. To top it off, all age groups seem to be adopting these new apps and devices. What do they have in common – media content. The iTunes store generates nearly as much revenue for Apple as Desktops and iPods combined, has better margins, and it is growing. There is no such uniform offering on Google. Google Music has been virtually ignored by the market. To compete with Apple you need some content. Google’s margins per phone are quite small and Apple users are not shying away from paying Apple’s higher prices. People have become accustomed to getting content from the Apple Store(s), both online and in the retail stores.
So, who has access to a lot of content? Who has entered or is entering the big markets of smart phones and tablets? The next threat to Apple is Amazon. They are working on a phone and they already have Kindle for the tablet space. Amazon’s phone is not out yet, but the rumors have been flying about Foxconn manufacturing them. Amazon’s LAB126 is working on an SOC. And Kindle Fire has been doing pretty well. Also extremely important is the growing area of cloud computing were Amazon has a huge presence and is way ahead in cloud apps and infrastructure. Apple’s cloud offering so far is small, at least in terms of features. Both of them have retail and distribution as well, which Google does not.
There are certainly a list of obstacles Amazon would need to overcome to compete well against Apple. The Kindle Fire is missing many of the apps people use on their smart phones. But in many ways, Amazon is ahead of Apple. If Amazon can build, borrow, and buy pieces to pull it together, Amazon could be bringing us their dominant electronic retail marketplace more integrated with our everyday lives. In doing so, they would build a more sticky following than the Android users who never seem quite happy.
Full disclosure: I am a happy iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Windows 7 user.
Did you watch Atrenta’s holiday video (it’s only one minute)? Various Atrenta employees from all over the world wished you happy holidays in their own languages. Now Atrenta are having a competition. If you identify all the languages in the video then you can win an iPad Mini.
To enter the competition, or to view the video, go to this page. You have to enter by 11th and there are some other rules (like you can’t be an Atrenta employee).
Oh, and I turned off comments to this post just in case some of you decided to crowd-source the answer that way. No cheating, you have to do it on your own.
Next week it is the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and so there are announcements around the areas where consumer overlaps with semiconductor, which these days is primarily mobile. Then in February in Barcelona is Mobile World Congress, which is even more focused on mobile. Expect more announcementst there.
Currently voice recognition like Apple’s Siri requires some additional activation such as pressing a button on the phone. Ideally voice recognition would be on all the time and so we could just talk. However, the power consumption required to do that with current processors is too high.
Today Tensilica introduced the HiFi Mini DSPcore targeted at “always listening” voice trigger and speech command. It is optimized specifically for the smallest area and lowest power in smartphones, tablets, appliances, and automotive applications. The HiFi Mini core enables a hands-free experience. Tensilica is working with Sensory and other software partners that will provide the voice-activation, speech command recognition, voice pre-processing and noise reduction products optimized on the HiFi Mini DSP.
Power is the single most important factor in enabling always-on listening capability in mobile devices. HiFi Mini is able to achieve just 400 uW running Sensory’s Truly HandsFree voice control technology. I think that we can expect more and more voice control over time as it migrates into all sorts of areas such as automotive and consumer appliances. Some of this is driven by the software side of things, but under the hood there is always the need for a very low power DSP to run the software since it is always listening.
If you are attending CES then Tensilica Tensilica will demonstrate Sensory’s Truly HandsFree voice trigger and speech command products on HiFi Mini at in booth MP25060.
Our world is decidedly analog, made up of stimuli for our five basic senses of sight, touch, hearing, taste, and smell, and more advanced senses like balance and acceleration. To be effective on the Internet of Things, digital devices must integrate with the analog world, interfacing with sensors and control elements.
Continue reading “Integrating your SoC into the analog world”
It has been a year since my article Semiconductor Landscape in Jan 2012 I wanted to look back into the major events over the year and then anticipate what’s in store going forward. What has happened over the year is much more than what I could foresee. Major consolidation in EDA space – Synopsys acquired Magma, SpringSoft, Ciranova, Eve; consolidation in semiconductor space – IBM acquired Texas Memory System, GlobalFoundries became independent of AMD, Micron is set to acquire Elpida and there were others. The point is that these consolidations are along the expected lines. One thing we have not seen yet is any indication of Qualcomm or Apple having their own foundries, although they could afford one profitably, if not for others’ designs, at least for their own needs. We may need to wait more to hear on that.
My tacit understanding in that article and still is that more consolidation will happen in coming years. Main reasons of consolidations are macroeconomic situation, business leadership, technology leadership and IP leadership. Let’s examine the scenarios from each of these perspectives and decipher from there what’s expected to happen –
Macroeconomics – In 2012, there is 3% decline in Semiconductor revenue, $298B from $307B in 2011, published by Gartner. And considering the unforeseen catastrophe of Fiscal Cliff, EU crisis and slowdown in BRICS, I am not hopeful of any real growth in economy in a few years from now, rather contraction is possible. The future is uncertain. If some corporate in US, baring a few like Qualcomm and Apple, are well capitalized, that is due to government and Fed pumping money into the system. In such a situation weaker hands will get hold of the stronger hands and thereby consolidation will happen. Another aspect is of meagre operating profit margins which, in order to improve the bottom line, will eventually force artificial robots to do routine work. Management tools will evolve for general book keeping of man power to reduce management overhead. Jobs will be measured by tools and paid accordingly, automatically.
Business Leadership – Here I would like to take a few examples. First comes to my mind is memory business which is faltering; low profit, high volume. We have seen the fate of Elpida. Micron, a strong leader in this space is coming for its rescue. Second, Freescale Semiconductor is not doing well and can be acquired, either in parts or in whole. Although it is narrowing down its losses, challenging future may initiate it to sell some of its lucrative portfolio in RF products and micro controllers which Qualcomm and TI would like to happily adopt. Another indication in business leadership we can see is that while majority of semiconductor vendors (e.g. Samsung, Toshiba, TI) had decline in their revenue Qualcomm and Broadcom had increase in their revenue. That’s a clear indication that while strong ones will emerge stronger, weaker ones will be subdued.
Technology Leadership – This is an interesting area where technology leaders are always in dilemma on what kind of services to be outsourced. When the technology becomes too complex as in the case of sub 20nm process, close collaboration between technology leaders (Foundry, EDA, Design) become necessary. Clear evidence is about Apple starting its own chip design team. That is also related to protecting IP but technology is the driver for better
efficiency. Eventually technology drives business and hence small and mid-size and weak players will either close or coalesce with strong technology leaders.
IP Leadership – This is a niche space where an IP owner can stay as long as it wishes or can survive. That’s the reason it has a separate unique space. ARM has established itself as a large IP leader and will continue. New IP leaders will keep on emerging and merging with other IP or technology leaders at their will.
By Pawan Kumar Fangaria
EDA/Semiconductor professional and Business consultant
Email:Pawan_fangaria@yahoo.com
I didn’t attend the International Electronic Device Meeting (IEDM) earlier this month, but there have been a lot of reports on the inter webs especially about 20nm and 14nm processes. Some of this is really geeky stuff but I think that perhaps the most interesting thing I’ve read about is summarized in this chart:
This shows the wafer costs (12″, 30cm wafers) for 28nm, 20nm and then 14nm with multiple patterning and, in purple, 14nm with EUV lithography. The chart comes from Luc van den Hove, chief executive of IMEC in Belgium.
These are raw wafer costs and thus haven’t been adjusted for the increase in transistor (and perhaps interconnect) density. Typically when we transition from one process node to the next, the wafer costs go up a little bit but that is completely dominated by the increase in how much we can put on a given sized die, and so the cost per transistor drops substantially. This is the economic driver of Moore’s law and is what makes it possible to have a $500 iPhone deliver more computer power than a 1980s mainframe that cost millions of dollars.
But these costs are going up dramatically. The Y-axis scale doesn’t start at zero so the picture is a bit misleading, 14nm costs are not three times 28nm. But they are nearly twice. If the process truly scaled everything then the density of transistors at 14nm would be four times that of 28nm so cost per transistor would still be falling fast. But increasingly the transistor length is only the headline number for the process and the interconnect is shrinking much more slowly, if at all. When you look at the pitches for various layers in a modern process it is impossible to see anything close to 2X the headline number.
So the key question is whether 14nm will have an economic driver or just a technology driver for those few designs that can truly take advantage of the increased density and decreased power, even though there may even be a cost penalty. For Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Android phones probably. For those $50 smartphones for developing countries that won’t work.
Despite the purple bar looking optimistic, the received wisdom is that EUV is now too late for 14nm and so we will have to have a lot of double and triple patterning instead (which is one of the things that drives the cost up so much). EUV works in the sense that you can flash some wafers but the current state-of-the-art seems to be about 20 wafers/hour versus the 100 or 200/hour that is required to make the approach viable. The intensity of the light source (droplets of tin zapped with a huge laser) is too low, the mirrors (which aren’t really mirrors in the usual sense) absorb too much of the light, and there are too many reflections required between the source and the photoresist. Not much energy makes it to the resist to make the exposure.
On a more optimistic note, Intel claimed that their costs per transistor were falling with each process node. Apparently they also don’t use double patterning at 20nm and there are two reasons for this. Firstly, they can have as restrictive design rules as they like, since they are the ultimate IDM with a limited product range. Secondly, most of the pitches at 20nm are not much different from 28nm. As I said above, only the FinFET transistor is 20nm or 22nm long.
Anyway, 2013 will be the year we find out what 20nm and 14nm really can deliver as these processes start to ramp up. As Yogi Berra said, “the future ain’t what it used to be.” (although you have to be careful with Yogi Berra quotes. As he also (maybe) said, “I didn’t say all the things I said.”)
