One of the things I really enjoy is bacon sandwiches, but that’s not what I wanted to talk about here. Another thing I enjoy is watching a startup company evolve from being a twinkle in its founder’s eye to purveying its first product.
Way back in the mists of time we used to call May 2020 (which is two … Read More → "Are You Ready to Lay Your Hands on the World’s First Universal Processor?"
With all the talk about 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, and 64-bit processors that is constantly swirling around us, I’m not sure how many of today’s younger engineers are aware that the first commercial microprocessor, the Intel 4004, was a 4-bit machine (although, in hindsight — which is the one true science — the part number is a bit (no pun intended) of a giveaway).
When I first started working for an FPGA company a decade ago, I was stunned to find out how many power supply rails these parts required. I’d never encountered chips that needed five to ten (or more) power supply rails. Even back in the old, old PMOS days, chips needed only three supply voltages and, for a few fortunate decades, 5 volts was all you ever … Read More → "Powering FPGAs is a Giant Hassle. Here’s Some Help."
Are you ready for some exciting nanocrystal technology? I certainly hope so! In this week’s Fish Fry podcast, Igor Coropceanu joins me to discuss how he and a team of fellow researchers at the University of Chicago discovered a new way to make nanocrystals function together electronically. We explore why this breakthrough in nanocrystal technology could lead to future devices with new abilities, what applications this would be … Read More → "Shaving Hairs and New Electronics: UChicago’s Nanocrystal Breakthrough"
I was just chatting with the folks at Synaptics about their recently launched FlexSense family of teeny-tiny multi-modal smart sensor processors. Actually, I was thinking about … Read More → "Reimagining How Humans Engage with Machines and Data"
FPGA place-and-route software goes too fast, said no one ever. In fact, FPGA vendors have spent considerable effort in making their design software run faster on multicore processors. A paper recently presented at the ACM’s FPGA 2022 conference titled “RapidStream: Parallel Physical Implementation of FPGA HLS Designs,” describes a very interesting approach to pushing HLS designs through FPGA design software running on multicore processors faster. The … Read More → "Can HLS Partitioning Speed Up Placement and Routing of FPGA Designs? Yes, Oh Yes!"
 Introducing new dynamic features for exterior automotive lights with DLP® technologySponsored by Texas Instruments Exterior lighting, primarily used to illuminate ground areas near the vehicle door, can now be transformed into a projection system used for both vehicle communication and unique styling features. A small lighting module that utilizes automotive-grade digital micromirror devices, such as the DLP2021-Q1 or DLP3021-Q1, can display an endless number of patterns in any color imaginable as well as communicate warnings and alerts to drivers and other vehicles. |
