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Gearing Up for Rain

We don’t seem to mind the rain much. I mean, yeah, we’ll carry an umbrella if we think it might rain (except for places like Seattle where an umbrella is the signature of the tourist). But, to that point, really… what’s the harm of a little water?

A lot of water can be a problem. We’re not fish, after all. But a few drops in the hair is a long way from a long, cool drink in Lake Superior. Heck, we’ll even survive a dousing with … Read More → "Gearing Up for Rain"

Conquer FPGA Design Complexity with System-Level Integration

Having trouble meeting deadlines? Is your FPGA design growing but when you look around, your team is still the same size, or worse, smaller? Do you wish reusing someone else’s design would work seamlessly?

Watch this webcast to see how you can increase your FPGA design productivity. Find out how to quickly develop large, complex systems by integrating other smaller complete systems and intellectual property (IP).

Read More → "Conquer FPGA Design Complexity with System-Level Integration"

Easily Create PCIe-Based Designs for FPGAs

When implementing high-bandwidth PCI Express® (PCIe®) designs on FPGAs, success is never guaranteed. You want to spend your time creating custom logic that differentiates your design in the marketplace, not doing tedious work like manually wiring up all the components.

Get your design to market faster and with less effort by using tools that free you up to complete the creative design work. These innovations will help you avoid the … Read More → "Easily Create PCIe-Based Designs for FPGAs"

Better See-Thru Technology

[Editor’s note: this is the third in a series of articles derived from a session at this year’s ISSCC that focused on sensors and energy harvesting. The prior article dealt with smart braces. For more details you are referred to the ISSCC proceedings.]

Ever get that feeling that your doctor is looking right through you? I guess that’s the purpose of an X-ray, so he or she can be forgiven for that in this one case.

Read More → "Better See-Thru Technology"

Never Recharge Your Shoes Again

Don’t you hate it when you have to change the batteries in your shoes?

What a nuisance: you’re all set to go jogging when the low-battery warning light stops you in your tracks. Now you’ve got the find the stupid little batteries rolling around in the kitchen drawer, open up your shoe, remove the dead batteries, remember which way the new ones go in, and properly dispose of the old batteries. Can’t a person just have a pleasant walk without all this tribulation?

Well, rejoice, because Texas … Read More → "Never Recharge Your Shoes Again"

The Only Chip

We all have the same vision — right?  Look waaaaay out there in the future.  Fuzz your eyes a bit.  Oh, that hurts?  Well, don’t then.  But think way ahead.  Your whole system is one chip.  Well, except for IO and peripherals, of course.  The “System on Chip” concept has finally, fully come to life and your system is on one – this system, your next system, any system, every system.  

Moore’s Law is an exponential.  We all know what exponential curves look … Read More → "The Only Chip"

An Offer of Surrender

The West is not known for its capacity for nuance. Especially in the US, we excel at black-and-white thinking. You’re either with us or against us.

And we’re competitive. The goal is to win. And there’s only one alternative to winning: losing. And losing is for losers.

If you’re going to lose, it’s best to lose the good fight: surrender is weakness. Better to die fighting than live a loser. (Easy for the winners to say…)

But “surrender” has another … Read More → "An Offer of Surrender"

Overcome Copper Limits with Optical Interfaces

With today’s high-bandwidth, low-latency devices and associated applications—such as smart phones, tablets, HDTV, and 3DTV—computer and network system vendors endeavor to deliver systems that don’t significantly add to network or internet traffic congestion and latency. This document discusses how optical interface technology embedded in an FPGA overcomes the reach, power, port density, cost, and circuit board complexity challenges associated with discrete copper interconnects. 

Author: Dr. Mike Peng … Read More → "Overcome Copper Limits with Optical Interfaces"

Transistors versus Heroin

The whole purpose of designing new computers, gadgets, and gizmos is to sell them. I think we can all agree on that. Unless you’re employed in research, your job is to design something that other people will buy.

But that simple value equation is getting complicated. Not all new gadgets are getting sold, exactly. They’re more like… rented. Or subsidized. Or sponsored. Or as I like to think of it, we’re emulating heroin addiction: the first fix is free, but after that it gets really expensive.

Read More → "Transistors versus Heroin"

Piles of Cash – and Other Stories

Succeeding as an FPGA startup is hard.  And, by “hard” we mean completely impossible.  The odds are terrible; the opposition is staggering.  The requirements for success include top-flight semiconductor technology, a novel architecture, seasoned and capable tools, experienced AEs, a rich portfolio of proven IP, world-class engineering, major league marketing prowess… and Piles of Cash.  Nobody in their right mind would risk precious capital on such a risky venture. 

In other news, a couple weeks ago, Tabula – an FPGA startup – announced that they have secured an additional $109 million in funding – … Read More → "Piles of Cash – and Other Stories"

featured blogs
Apr 24, 2026
A thought experiment in curiosity, confusion, and cosmic consequences....