Articles – Page 2

October 6, 2021

I know I’ll be in trouble for saying this, but Professor Christopher Monroe gave a presentation about IonQ’s Quantum computing element at Hot Chips 33, and I very nearly understood it. That does not usually happen when I listen to quantum explanations, which usually end up as a superposition of many understood, poorly understood, and completely misunderstood ideas. I don’t think it’s my fault. Understanding the fundamentals of quantum computing is hard. Implementing a working quantum computer is even harder.

Not Normal

How Long Will it Take for the Chip Shortage to Ease?

Hint: Don’t Hold Your Breath says Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger

by Steven Leibson

October 4, 2021

When can I see you again?
I’ve been waiting out here for so long and I don’t seem to find a reason
To keep building these castles out of snow – “When,” Susanne Sundfør

The above song “When,” written and sung by Norwegian singer-songwriter Susanne Sundfør, served as the haunting opening theme for the recent soapy World War II miniseries … Read More → "How Long Will it Take for the Chip Shortage to Ease?"

A Hands-On Guide to Designing Embedded Systems

by Max Maxfield

September 30, 2021

There are a lot of books available to tell you all about the theoretical side of designing and building embedded systems, but not so many that tackle the nitty-gritty details involved in developing embedded systems that actually work and keep on working, until now…

When I was a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed young lad poised to spend the next four years of my life slogging away to earn my hard-fought BSc in what they used to call Control Engineering — which boasted a core of math accompanied by electronics, mechanics, and fluidics/hydraulics (“ … Read More → "A Hands-On Guide to Designing Embedded Systems"

To Get a Good Job, Talk Posh, Not Sheffield Tyke!

by Max Maxfield

September 28, 2021

In previous columns, I’ve made mention of the fact that my mother is prone to grabbing the conversational reins with gusto and abandon (and, it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway, aplomb). She waits for an opportunity to present itself and then leaps into action employing one of her classic opening gambits along the lines of, “Speaking of which, I met Mrs Greebles outside the fishmonger’s the other day, and she said…”

And the hours … Read More → "To Get a Good Job, Talk Posh, Not Sheffield Tyke!"

FPGAs: Made in China

¿ Quién es más “pura”?

by Steven Leibson

September 27, 2021

It all started with a post from one of my LinkedIn connections, Tim Davis:

“It seems like the golden age of the pure FPGA is disappearing to me. Am I right?

“The warning shot, that FPGAs were on the way out, was delivered three years ago by Xilinx CEO Victor Peng. See Steve Leibson’s EE Journal article: Why does Xilinx say That its New 7nm Versal ‘ACAP’ isn’ … Read More → "FPGAs: Made in China"

It’s Time to Get Toit!

by Max Maxfield

September 23, 2021

I was just chatting with the guys and gals at Toit, which is a rather interesting company that’s based in Denmark. These clever little scamps have come up with a whole new take on implementing the software portion of IoT devices. I will explain further in a moment, but first…

…I’m sorry, I’m easily distracted. I was just about to start typing the second paragraph to this soon-to-be-epic column … Read More → "It’s Time to Get Toit!"

11 Reasons You Should NOT use an FPGA for a Design, and Four Reasons You Should

"I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail." – Abraham Maslow

by Steven Leibson

September 20, 2021

We write a lot about FPGAs here at EEJournal, with good reason, and you might get the impression that they’re the right solution to every design problem. They’re not.

Here’s a checklist to help keep you in the right path to successful design when considering FPGAs as a design alternative:

If you just need to blink an LED, use something else. Often, your first introduction to FPGA design is the blinking light project. In real life, some designs … Read More → "11 Reasons You Should NOT use an FPGA for a Design, and Four Reasons You Should"

Watch Out! It’s the Smallest Stereo Camera in the World!

by Max Maxfield

September 16, 2021

I cannot believe how fast things are moving when it comes to things like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), especially in the context of machine vision, which refers to the ability of a computer to use sight to perceive what’s going on in the world around it (see also What the FAQ are AI, ANNs, ML, DL, and DNNs?).

Are you familiar with Read More → "Watch Out! It’s the Smallest Stereo Camera in the World!"

Microchip Powers Down the Edge

New FPGAs Lower Power Floor

by Kevin Morris

September 15, 2021

Microchip’s FPGA offering has a heritage of low power and high reliability. Beginning with Actel’s antifuse- and flash-based devices that were picked up and advanced by Microsemi and then later joined Microchip’s formidable stable in a subsequent acquisition, the fundamental approach hasn’t changed – building the lowest-power mid-range FPGAs on the market.

Now, that agenda has advanced even further with the announcement of new devices that target edge computing and interface applications across a wide range of end markets. While Actel and Microsemi focused primarily on aerospace, … Read More → "Microchip Powers Down the Edge"

Its vs. It’s

by Max Maxfield

September 14, 2021

In recent columns (see Using USB4? Require ReTiming? Kandou Can-Do! and Just Call Me an Indexing Fool), I’ve made mention of the fact that I’m in the process of writing a book called Wroting Inglish: The Essential Guide to Writing English for Anyone Who Doesn’t … Read More → "Its vs. It’s"