Articles – Page 228

October 1, 2012

A number of years ago, Coventor created a program called SEMulator 3D. Its target usage was for developing MEMS processes and devices, MEMS devices traditionally having the unfortunate characteristic that a specific device typically required a specific process. Coventor refers to it as “virtual fabrication” since it can abstract and model the steps used to fabricate a MEMS wafer.

One of their customers was IBM, and one of the people at IBM working with the tool thought that it would be useful for silicon … Read More → "From One Pot to Another"

When the Silicon Doesn’t Matter

Processor Design Takes a Back Seat to Software Availability

by Jim Turley

September 26, 2012

So let me get this straight. On one hand, we’ve got a multimillion-transistor chip fabricated in bleeding-edge 22 nm technology – one of the most complex devices humankind has ever created, at a total development cost of almost a billion dollars. On the other hand, we’ve got free, open-source, software created by volunteers in their spare time.

And the software wins. WTF?

That, in a nutshell (an appropriate receptacle), is where we are today in the smartphone business. Pretty much the same is true in tablets and e-readers, too. And Intel is not happy about … Read More → "When the Silicon Doesn’t Matter"

Aldec Heads to Hardware

Fast Following to Fast Leading?

by Kevin Morris

September 25, 2012

There are certain companies that seem to make their living with what some marketers call a “fast follower” strategy. The principle is sound and simple. You watch the leading bleeding-edge companies in your market segment. You take note of which of their new products gain market traction, and you create a useful, usable substitute for those products for a significantly lower price.

Just about every industry has companies that could be characterized as “fast followers.” In EDA, one might argue that Aldec is such a company. Aldec has long made their way by offering a solid, useful … Read More → "Aldec Heads to Hardware"

Temporary Storage

Blue Spark Makes a Flexible, Disposable Battery

by Bryon Moyer

September 24, 2012

They just kept going and going.

Or at least that’s what we’re led to believe. And how would we know if it could still keep going? Press that little strip on the side of the battery and see what color it turns.

The technology that went into that test strip, not the battery itself, came into its own as Energizer spun it out into a new company, Blue Spark. Blue Spark doesn’t make battery test strips, however. That technology has morphed into a new flexible battery technology that’s now being marketed … Read More → "Temporary Storage"

Camels Have Their Role in Life

by Dick Selwood

September 19, 2012

Some years ago, when anyone wanted to be rude about the Ada programming language, they would drag out the old saying about a camel being a horse designed by committee.

You remember Ada, don’t you? It was developed because the US Department of Defence (DoD), which spends a vast amount of money on software, was increasingly frustrated by dealing with hundreds of programming languages. (Anecdotally there were around 450 languages being used in the 1960s). DoD decided that it should use only a single language, and, cutting a long and complicated story short, after a series of … Read More → "Camels Have Their Role in Life"

Daybreak at 20nm

Altera Previews 20nm Roadmap

by Kevin Morris

September 18, 2012

The crushing exponential onslaught of Moore’s Law is a harsh mistress. Each new process node demands a new round of superlatives and introduces a new way of thinking about the world of electronic design. The things we knew before are now quaint, dated, outmoded. The new things we are just learning (which will be all-to-soon relegated to the “norm”) stretch our collective imaginations as we interpret the implications of a whole new vocabulary on our day-to-day design lives.

When we first hear about what the next node will bring, we are often dumbstruck. No matter how … Read More → "Daybreak at 20nm"

Bigger and Smaller

KLA-Tencor Addresses Both Trends

by Bryon Moyer

September 17, 2012

Things are getting bigger and smaller. It’s the way of technology: two so-far unstoppable trends, one inexorable and much ballyhooed, the other more cautious and halting, but, as yet, undeterred.

The first trend forces me to exercise what, in 2009, I decided to call Moyer’s Law (to crushing silence and no subsequent citations that I can discern): “Every technology-related paper or presentation must mention Moore’s Law at least once to achieve legitimacy.” So, to ensure that you’ll read further, let’s simply get this out of the way: the first trend is Moore’s … Read More → "Bigger and Smaller"

Debugging Gets Its Own OS

Kozio VTOS Oversees Debugging, Verification, and Testing

by Jim Turley

September 12, 2012

“If debugging is the act of removing bugs, then programming must be the act of inserting them.” So goes the old axiom about embedded development. It’s true that most programmers spend more time debugging software than they do writing the code in the first place – several surveys have proven this dreary division of labor. So if we spend so much time debugging, why aren’t we better at it?

Kozio aims to speed up that process. The Colorado-based company makes something it calls VTOS (verification and test operating system), a kind of overall wrapper for test-and-debug … Read More → "Debugging Gets Its Own OS"

Automating FPGA Verification

by Kevin Morris

September 11, 2012

The definition of what FPGA really means has changed dramatically over the last two decades. Whether blazing the trail or being on the trailing edge of Moore’s Law, this is an exciting time to be an FPGA Designer. New opportunities bring new challenges for the FPGA market. As devices grow and become more complex resembling complete systems, the task of verifying such a system becomes daunting.

Mentor Graphics can help. By providing the latest technology for improving debugging, providing coverage, and accelerating … Read More → "Automating FPGA Verification"

Injecting Automation into FPGA Verification On Demand Seminar Series

by Kevin Morris

September 10, 2012

This 3-part series will help you get started with using assertions for debug, code coverage for providing coverage, and UVM Express for improving your testbenches and accelerating the development process. Stay ahead of your competition by deploying these verification techniques at your company.

Improved Debug with Assertions:

The first FPGA Verification session “improved debug with assertions” provides a strong case for a step by step method for … Read More → "Injecting Automation into FPGA Verification On Demand Seminar Series"