Architecture and Design Techniques for Embedded Deep Learning

April 17, 2020 - Bridging the gap from the AI and data science world to the RTL and hardware design world can be challenging. High-level synthesis (HLS) can provide a mechanism to get from AI frameworks like TensorFlow into synthesizable RTL, enabling the development of high-performance inference architectures. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton chats with Dave Apte of Cadence Design Systems about doing AI design with HLS. More information about Stratus High-Level Synthesis: https://bit.ly/3alULCN

April 17, 2020 - Recent innovations can make your airflow cooling more efficient and effective. New thermal bridges can outperform conventional thermal pads in a number of ways. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton chats with Zach Galbraith of TE Connectivity about the application of thermal bridges in cooling electronic designs. More information about TE Thermal Bridge Technology: https://bit.ly/2z43Y5S

April 14, 2020 - Adding Bluetooth to your embedded design can be tricky for IoT developers. Bluetooth 5 brings a host of new capabilities that make Bluetooth integration more compelling than ever. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton chats with Michael Sarpa from Renesas about the cool capabilities of Bluetooth 5, and how you can easily integrate them into your next project. More information about Renesas Electronics RX23W 32-bit Microcontrollers: https://bit.ly/34CWVwP

April 13, 2020 - Electrical-thermal co-simulation can dramatically improve the system design process, allowing thermal design adaptation to be done much earlier. The Cadence Celsius Thermal Solver is a complete electrical-thermal co-simulation solution for the full hierarchy of electronic systems from ICs to physical enclosures. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton chats with CT Kao of Cadence Design Systems about how the Celsius Thermal Solver can help detect and mitigate thermal issues early in the design process. More information about Celsius Thermal Solver: https://bit.ly/2ydR052

April 10, 2020 - Today, one engineer’s “system” is another engineer’s “component.” The complexity of system-level design has skyrocketed with the new wave of intelligent systems. In this world, optimizing electronic system designs requires digital twins, shifting left, virtual platforms, and emulation to sort everything out. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton chats with Frank Schirrmeister of Cadence Design Systems about system-level optimization. Click here for more information: https://bit.ly/39XPCRw

March 31, 2020 - AI inference at the edge is exploding right now. Numerous designs that can’t use cloud processing for AI tasks need high-performance, low-power AI acceleration right in their embedded designs. Wouldn’t it be cool if those designs could have their own little Google TPU? In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton chats with James McKurkin of Google about the Google Coral edge TPU. More information about Coral System on Module: https://bit.ly/2WXCoRD

March 27, 2020 - With signal integrity becoming increasingly challenging in today’s designs, interconnect is taking on a key role. In order to see how a particular interconnect solution will perform in our design, we really need hands-on evaluation of the technology. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton chats with Matthew Burns of Samtec about evaluation and development kits for high-speed interconnect solutions. More information about Samtec Evaluation and Development Kits: https://bit.ly/2WK9dBH

March 27, 2020 - Getting started on an FPGA-based embedded vision project can be tricky. Locating all the components you need, getting them to talk to each other, and just getting your system to the video equivalent of “Hello World” is a pretty daunting task. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton chats with Avery Williams of Microchip Technology about the Hello FPGA kit - a low-cost, low-touch embedded vision kit for engineers new to FPGAs. More information about Microchip Technology Hello FPGA Kit: https://bit.ly/33OoXVA

March 24, 2020 - In motor control and industrial applications, semiconductor switches such as IGBTs and MOSFETS of all types - including newer wide-bandgap devices are used extensively to switch power to a load. This makes DC to DC conversion for gate drivers a challenge. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton chats with John Barnes of Murata about DC to DC conversion for gate drivers for industrial and motor control applications. More information about Murata Power Solutions MGJ DC/DC Converters: https://bit.ly/2y6uVp3

March 18, 2020 - With serial connections hitting 112Gbps, we can’t mess around with our interconnect. We need engineered solutions that will keep those eyes open and deliver the signal integrity we need in our high-speed designs. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton talks with Matt Burns of Samtec about the interconnect options for speeds up to 112Gbs, and Samtec’s Flyover interconnect technology. Click here for more information: https://bit.ly/3ddDcro

February 28, 2020 - With form factors continuing to shrink, most engineers are working hard to reduce the number of discrete components in their designs. Power supplies, in particular, are problematic - often requiring a number of large components. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton chats with John Woodward of Maxim Integrated about how power modules can save board space, improve performance, and help reliability. More information about Maxim Integrated Himalaya uSLIC™ MAXM1546x Step-Down Power Modules: http://bit.ly/38bIM9U More information about Maxim Integrated Himalaya uSLIC™ MAXM17532 Step-Down Power Module: http://bit.ly/2TbLDM1

February 26, 2020 - Brushless motors have taken over the market for a huge number of applications these days. But, it’s easy to blow up your BOM cost with all the motor control and power management components required. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton chats with Marc Sousa of Qorvo about the Power Application Controller (PAC) that can lower your BOM, trim down your component list, and give you several other benefits as well. More information about Qorvo Power Application Controllers®: http://bit.ly/3cbuERc