Electronics trends for 2015

Chip designs that enable everything from a 6 Gbit/s smartphone interface to the world’s smallest SRAM cell will be described at the International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in February 2015. Intel will describe a Xeon processor packing 5.56 billion transistors, and AMD will disclose an integrated processor sporting a new x86 core, according to a just-released preview of the event. The annual ISSCC covers the waterfront of chip designs that enable faster speeds, longer battery life, more performance, more memory, and interesting new capabilities. There will be many presentations on first designs made in 16 and 14 nm FinFET processes at IBM, Samsung, and TSMC.

There is push to go to even smaller processes, and it seems that next generation of lithography equipment are started to being used. Earlier expectation was for chipmakers to use traditional immersion lithography for production of 10 nm chip, but it seems that extreme ultraviolet (EUV) scanners that allows allow scaling to 10 nm or even smaller is being used. TSMC to Use EUV for 7nm, Says ASML. Intel and TSMC have been injecting money in ASML to push process technology.

2015 promises to see initial FPGA product releases and (no doubt) a deluge of marketing claims and counter-claims. One thing is certain: 2015 will not be boring. There will be FPGA products that use processes beyond 20nm, for example Altera and  Xilinx have committed to use the TSMC 16nm FinFET technology. There is  publicized (and rumored) race to get to production at 14nm has seen time frames for initial samples move into 2015. However, with both FPGA companies reporting gross margins of close to 70 percent, it would be possible for either company to take an initial hit on margin to gain key socket wins.

It seems that the hardware becomes hot again as Wearables make hardware the new software. Apple invest its time when it released the Apple Watch last quarter, going up against the likes of Google’s Android Wear and others in the burgeoning wearables area of design. Once Apple’s bitten into a market, it’s somewhat a given that there’s good growth ahead and that the market is, indeed, stable enough. As we turn to 2015 and beyond  wearables becomes an explosive hardware design opportunity — one that is closely tied to both consumer and healthcare markets. It could pick up steam in the way software did during the smartphone app explosion.

There will be more start-up activity within hardware sector. For recent years, the software has been on the main focus on the start-ups, and the hardware sector activity has been lower. Hardware sector has seem some start-up activity with many easy to use open hardware platforms became available (make development of complex devices easier and reachable for smaller companies). The group financing (Kickstarter, Indiegogo, etc.) have made it possible to test of new hardware ideas are market-worthy and get finance to get them to production.

EEs embrace hackathons aand accelerators. Design 2.0 is bubbling up in the engineering community, injecting new energy into the profession. In many ways, it’s the new Moore’s Law. Easy to use open hardware development platforms have made it possible to design working hardware device prototypes within hackathons.

Silicon Startups Get Incubator article tells that there will be new IC start-up activity as semiconductor veterans announced plans for an incubator dedicated to helping chip startups design their first prototypes. Keysight, Synopsys, and TSMC have signed exclusive deals to provide tools and services to the incubator. Silicon Catalyst aims to select its first batch of about 10 chip startups before April.

1,206 Comments

1. September 15, 2015 at 7:31 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Slideshow
   8 Trends in Test & Measurement
   http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327655&

   Test and measurement is among the least glamorous categories in electronics, but the value of T&M is quite literally in the value of every other category in the field. If you can’t assure that what you’ve devised works, it’s not worth much. And if it doesn’t work? T&M is critical for discovering why it doesn’t work, and how to fix it.

   Here are some of the key innovations, and important trends — ongoing and incipient — in electronic test and measurement equipment:

   Modularity in portable testers
   Test as an ongoing process
   Car Talk
   Making the network a test system
   Non-optical metrology
   T&M moves to the cloud
   The Interop Era
   IP standardization

   Reply
2. September 15, 2015 at 7:45 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Bruce V. Bigelow / Xconomy:
   Qualcomm acquires Capsule Technologie, a firm linking medical devices with hospitals, which has 1.9K hospital customers in 38 countries

   Qualcomm Buys Capsule to Unite Health Data Across Hospital & Home
   http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2015/09/14/qualcomm-buys-capsule-to-unite-health-data-across-hospital-home/

   Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) said its Qualcomm Life subsidiary has acquired Capsule Technologie, an Andover, MA-based healthtech systems company with more than 1,900 hospital customers in 38 countries. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

   Capsule, founded in 1997, specializes in software tools that integrate medical devices with software systems used by hospitals and healthcare organizations. The company’s SmartLinx technology supports more than 730 medical devices—collecting medical device data from wherever a patient may be and transmitting it to any information system.

   Qualcomm Life is in the same business, although it’s more focused on gathering data from outside of hospitals and clinics. Its core technology is a wireless gateway device that collects and encrypts data transmitted from patients’ medical devices and personal mobile devices, and enables healthcare providers to access the data in the cloud.

   Qualcomm Life says it is creating one of the world’s largest open connected health ecosystems to deliver intelligent care by combining its wireless expertise and ecosystem of connected medical devices outside of the hospital with Capsule’s know-how in connecting medical devices, electronic medical records, and IT systems across the hospital enterprise.

   Reply
3. September 16, 2015 at 7:01 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Dresden Memory Startup To Debut At Semicon Europa
   http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327699&

   A startup company that is working on a ferroelectric non-volatile memory technology based on hafnium oxide is set to make its debut at the Semicon Europa exhibition taking place in Dresden, Germany, October 6 to 8.

   The company is in the process of being spun out from the nano- and micro- laboratory (NaMLab) at the Technical University of Dresden. It is currently listed as The Ferroelectric Memory Company (FMC) although CEO Stefan Mueller told EE Times Europe said that the name may change during the formal company creation and registration process.

   The company is the product of work at NaMLab on the ferroelectric effect in thin films of silicon-doped hafnium dioxide. That work was, in turn, based on a discovery made in research at now defunct DRAM manufacturer Qimonda in 2007 by Tim Boeske that hafnium dioxide, if prepared in the right way could be made to demonstrate a ferroelectric effect. Hafnium oxide is well known as an insulator material used for high-k metal-gate (HKMG) transistor structures.

   Reply
4. September 16, 2015 at 7:17 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Rebooting IT Revolution Essential to American Tech Leadership
   http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327694&

   The IoT’s potential is an ocean of enormous depth, and to harness this and other promising technologies, we must invest ambitiously in research – and we must make the investment now.

   Over the last half-century, the semiconductor industry has helped bring about the greatest period of technological advancement in the history of human kind. Driven by the ingenuity of industry workers and accelerated by public-private research investments, semiconductors have given rise to new industries, technologies, and applications that were the stuff of science fiction only a few short years ago.

   But those accomplishments are in the past, and our industry’s greatest virtue is its relentless focus on the future, the next great innovations, the next great opportunities. One example, still in its infancy, is the Internet of Things (IoT), a burgeoning network of connected devices that communicate with each other. The IoT holds great potential for applications across a range of fields, from transportation to personalized medicine to “insight” technologies that collect and analyze data to help us gain a greater understanding of the world around us. Underlying all these exciting new technologies are, of course, semiconductors.

   The IoT’s potential is an ocean of enormous depth, and to harness this and other promising technologies, we must invest ambitiously in research – and we must make the investment now.

   A coalition of leaders from the tech industry and academia, led by the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) and Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), this month released a report highlighting the urgent need for robust investments in research to advance IoT and develop other cutting-edge innovations that will sustain and strengthen America’s global technology leadership.

   The United States stands at a crossroads in the global race to uncover the next transformative innovations that will determine technology leadership. We either aggressively invest in research to foster new, semiconductor-driven technologies such as the IoT that will shape the future of the digital economy, or we risk ceding ground to competitors abroad.

   Reply
5. September 16, 2015 at 8:09 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   3D chip/package/PCB co-design optimizes systems: Product how-to
   http://www.edn.com/design/pc-board/4440327/3D-chip-package-PCB-co-design-optimizes-systems–Product-how-to?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_pcbdesigncenter_20150914&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_pcbdesigncenter_20150914&elq=17bc072787ec4bb5a464b2e61bea90de&elqCampaignId=24751&elqaid=28084&elqat=1&elqTrackId=d6478eee424c42539e4bde88fb831b44

   Three independent design processes – chip, package, and PCB – are typically required for the latest electronic products which utilize increasingly complex systems on chip (SoCs) and multiple chips in single packages. Today these three processes are typically carried out with point tools that require time-consuming and error-prone manual processes to link the three processes. But an integrated 3D chip/package/board co-design environment provides the ability to holistically optimize the package, board, and IC design to a greater degree than was possible in the past by considering the system-level impact of each design decision. Designers can optimize routability via pin assignment and I/O placement to minimize layer counts between the package, chip, and board. The new approach makes it possible to deliver more functional, higher performing, and less expensive products to market in less time.

   Limitations of traditional design methods

   Traditional system design relies on tools that address the IC, package, and PCB in stand-alone environments. These flows lack system-level planning, visualization, design, and analysis.

   This approach was acceptable in the past as most complex systems had large form factors (servers, PC towers, large machinery) and package and substrate costs were a negligible part of the overall system cost. With increasing functionality, tighter cost constraints, and the decreasing form factor of today’s products (portables, wearables and automotive), components need to be tightly coordinated with each other so that pin assignments can be optimized for small size and minimum layer count substrates.

   With the lack of tool integration, but increasing design requirements, companies have reverted to workarounds such as using spreadsheets and generic office productivity tools to perform planning and feasibility studies and to define the tool interfaces and data transfer. These files are typically internally developed and have to be internally maintained and manually manipulated to interact with the tools in the flow.

   This approach was acceptable in the past as most complex systems had large form factors (servers, PC towers, large machinery) and package and substrate costs were a negligible part of the overall system cost. With increasing functionality, tighter cost constraints, and the decreasing form factor of today’s products (portables, wearables and automotive), components need to be tightly coordinated with each other so that pin assignments can be optimized for small size and minimum layer count substrates.

   With the lack of tool integration, but increasing design requirements, companies have reverted to workarounds such as using spreadsheets and generic office productivity tools to perform planning and feasibility studies and to define the tool interfaces and data transfer. These files are typically internally developed and have to be internally maintained and manually manipulated to interact with the tools in the flow.

   Conclusion

   Chip/package/board co-design provides a unified design approach that enables designers to consider the system-level impact of each design decision to reduce design costs, improve performance, reduce uncertainty, and accelerate schedules.

   Reply
6. September 16, 2015 at 8:10 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   FPGA IP cores enable flexible SoC design
   http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4440331/FPGA-IP-cores-enable-flexible-SoC-design?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150914&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150914&elq=a4c158b30ea74d23a9b41d06c002d35a&elqCampaignId=24760&elqaid=28093&elqat=1&elqTrackId=5cb8b6af5ef24a39b303ded73736979d

   Optimized for TSMC’s 28-nm process, Menta’s predefined off-the-shelf IP cores for complex SoC devices simplify post-production customization. The eFPGA (embedded FPGA) IP cores, together with the Menta Origami programming tool suite, allow designers to make post-fabrication changes quickly and easily.

   The family of IP cores includes six new eFPGA options that provide from 4,000 to 60,000 equivalent ASIC gates, plus DSP blocks. IP cores are delivered as hard macros with optimized array sizes for embedded logic blocks, embedded custom blocks, and embedded memory blocks, each of which are customizable in type, number, and size to address various markets and applications.

   Reply
7. September 16, 2015 at 8:25 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Xerox introduces printed-memory labels to fight counterfeiting
   The labels can contain encrypted data
   http://www.computerworld.com/article/2984213/data-security/xerox-introduces-printed-memory-labels-to-fight-counterfeiting.html

   Xerox today announced two new printed packaging labels that can store 36 bits on rewritable memory. The labels are aimed at combating counterfeiting and helping businesses and government better secure products as they are distributed.

   The two printed electronic labels, which Xerox is also calling “printed memory,” can collect and store information about the authenticity and condition of products, storing up to 68 billion points of data, the company said.

   The labels, for example, can be used to determine if a product is genuine and to track how it’s been handled during distribution, Xerox said.

   “This makes it possible to ensure the integrity of a product from the time it leaves the factory to the time it gets into the hands of a customer,” Steve Simpson, a Xerox vice president, said in a statement.

   Other uses for the rewritable data within each tag could be to identify if a medication refill has been authorized, if a shipping tax has been paid or if a package has passed through an authorized distributor.

   The memory labels can be scanned using a simple smartphone-based reader. The key label verification features will work offline, allowing secure validation of an object or process without being bound to the Internet.

   Xerox licensed the proprietary printed memory technology from Thin Film, a Norwegian company. Xerox plans to produce printed memory at its plant in Webster, N.Y.

   One of the printed memory labels also includes cryptographic security through a unique, encrypted printed code such as a QR bar code.

   “Traditional anti-counterfeiting methods such as invisible ink, holograms and RFID tags can be easily copied and hacked, and are often expensive to implement,” Xerox said in its announcement. “This combination of printed memory with an encrypted printed code creates one of the most secure anti-counterfeit solutions on the market

   “Keeping ahead of counterfeiters is a complex challenge that requires an unprecedented level of security in a growing global market,”

   Reply
8. September 17, 2015 at 7:20 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   ‘Soft’ market will make Imagination’s profits droop, warns firm
   Chipmaker warns of impending flop, blames sagging trading conditions
   http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/16/imagination_technologies_profit_warning/

   British chipmaking biz Imagination Technologies has posted a profit warning for its next financial quarter, blaming “softness” in the chip market.

   “The semiconductor sector in general had a weak June quarter but the industry expectation is for this to improve in the second half of the year,” it said in its interim update for the period from 1 May 2015 to 15 September 2015.

   “The combination of general market softness in H1 [the first half of the financial year] and the short-term timing impact of the replacement chip ramp up mentioned in the business update, lead us to expect lower H1 revenues than we had previously forecast, which is likely to lead to a loss for H1,” said the company.

   Part of this has been driven by the sharp slowdown in the rate of growth of the emerging economies, and in particular the Chinese market, it said.

   Reply
9. September 17, 2015 at 12:02 pm

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Re-Shoring OEMs Challenged by U.S. Expectations
   http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327693&

   If re-shoring is to succeed, a robust system for handling reverse supply chain management is going to be critical.

   For the past few decades, OEMs based in the U.S. have had many good reasons to ship the bulk of their manufacturing and supply chain jobs to other countries in the APAC region. The most compelling reason was that it dramatically reduced costs. Other benefits included less stringent regulations and greater convenience. The massive supply chain network they have built around the world, especially in APAC, is, in the opinion of many, a triumph of globalization.

   That’s all changing. The trend began its reversal about three years ago when U.S. President Barack Obama proposed tax incentives meant to encourage companies to return to the U.S. the jobs that had moved overseas. Furthermore, Obama proposed ending or severely reducing tax breaks for businesses that continue to move jobs from the U.S. to other countries.

   Apple’s move to invest $100 million in U.S.-based manufacturing the MacBook remains one of the more high profile examples of this trend.

   But there are other businesses that are following the tech icon’s lead

   As manufacturing returns, a part of its supply chain network also returns; however, it’s critical that a robust reverse supply chain management (RSCM) infrastructure be easily accessible so that excess, obsolete and defective parts and products can be handled in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way.

   As of today, that infrastructure is not in place. That’s because the decades-long exodus of manufacturing rendered it unnecessary.

   Reply
10. September 17, 2015 at 12:05 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Chips Slump as Drivers Falter
    Internet of Things won’t revive industry
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327703&

    Market researchers at Gartner are weeks away from lowering their forecasts for semiconductor growth in 2015 for the second time this year, this time to as little as 0.5%. The short-term issue is an excess of inventory from an overheated fourth quarter last year, but the longer term issue is the industry lacks a driver.

    Growth rates for PCs, tablets and smartphones are all down this year. They are expected to rebound somewhat but not strongly in 2016 and beyond.

    “This industry going forward is in a slower-growth mode because the big three drivers are slowing down so we expect 4-7% growth for the next several years — no double-digit growth,” said Jim Walker, a semiconductor analyst at Gartner, speaking at a lunch hosted by an industry trade group.

    PC sales will shrink at least 5.1% in 2015. That includes a 1.9% decline in the ultramobile segment Intel defined as its hottest slice, one that was up as much as 15.2% last year. Mobile phone sales overall are expected to be about flat at 0.7% growth this year.

    Overall PC sales are expected to edge up to 3-5% a year over the next three years. The ultramobile segment will rebound into the high single digits, and mobile phones will nudge back up but stay under 5% growth.

    The sluggish numbers have people instinctively pointing to the Internet of Things as the next big driver. But that’s an assumption market watchers think is unrealistic. For example, even though wearables are growing at a 25% rate they will only represent 1% of the semiconductor market in 2019 because they use only a few chips and very inexpensive ones at that.

    “It’s not the new big killer app some people think it is…the [semiconductor] driver has yet to be determined, but it’s not the IoT,” Walker said.

    Reply
11. September 17, 2015 at 12:17 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Home> Analog Design Center > How To Article
    Achieving satellite mission assurance with Rad Hard multiplexers
    http://www.edn.com/design/analog/4440333/Achieving-satellite-mission-assurance-with-Rad-Hard-multiplexers?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_analog_20150917&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_analog_20150917&elq=624691fbe53644e58839bdddf11d1bc7&elqCampaignId=24821&elqaid=28164&elqat=1&elqTrackId=947414eefa924581a63d5d6f2ab2006c

    Analog multiplexers are a staple for most signal processing applications, especially satellite systems. Microprocessors have a limited number of I/O (input/output) channels and thus use a multiplexer’s multiple switching inputs to sense voltage supplies and telemetry signals from a variety of sensors. As simple as they may seem in concept, there is a lot that goes on inside a multiplexer to make them reliable for space flight applications. Any integrated circuit (IC) aboard a satellite will be exposed to total ionizing dose (TID) and single-event effects (SEE). Both of these phenomena can have adverse effects on semiconductors, if not properly handled.

    This article analyzes the effects of radiation on analog multiplexers by breaking down its three different sections — level shifters for the digital inputs, and decoder and switches for each I/O channel. We also examine how SEE can affect the behavior of an analog multiplexer, and present the options for overcoming the variety of radiation effects encountered during satellite missions.

    Reply
12. September 18, 2015 at 10:39 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Apple Seen Splitting 14/16nm Orders Among Foundries into 2016
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327722&

    Apple, the world’s largest buyer of chips made with leading process technology, is likely to divvy up its orders for 14/16nm products this year and next as part of a strategy to gain pricing power over foundry suppliers such as Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), according to six analysts surveyed by EE Times.

    TSMC, which since 2014 has enjoyed sole-source status for Apple’s A8 processor that powers the iPhone 6, is wrestling with Samsung to dominate the supply of Apple’s new A9 and A10 processors, according to the analysts. To enhance its pricing power, Apple has also qualified Global Foundries as a third source, the analysts say.

    The focus is on Apple’s yet-to-be released A10 processor, expected sometime in 2016.

    “TSMC will receive one-third of Apple’s A9 allocation and half of its A10 allocation,” said Warren Lau, an analyst with Maybank Kim Eng, in an August 24 report. “An assumption of 50% is reasonable given Apple’s desire to maximize its bargaining power with suppliers,” Lau said.

    Reply
13. September 18, 2015 at 10:41 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Q&A with GloFo CEO: ‘IoT Is No Mystical Animal’
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327709&

    PC shipments are going down all over the world. The smartphone market is losing steam. The chip industry is expecting a down year in 2016. Practically every chip vendor in the world is groping for growth drivers for the semiconductor market.

    Globalfoundries’ CEO Sanjay Jha came to Shanghai this week and said that mobility and pervasive computing will continue to drive the industry. But he emphasized that many applications expected to drive the industry’s growth – which includes mass market smartphones, M2M, IoT and automotive – “don’t require the cost and complexity of FinFET.”

    Instead, Jha pitched FD-SOI and RF-SOI as “the right technology at the right time,”

    In his opinion, what will drive the chip industry forward are “emerging markets – the next 2 billion subscribers, 5G, social, machine-to-machine interaction, and content consumption.” The question, then, is what semiconductor companies can do about all this.

    Jha said “cost, performance equivalent to today’s high-end smartphones and power consumption” are the three things semiconductors need to deliver.

    IOT ‘no mystical animal’
    The Globalfoundries’ CEO also touched upon IoT. Although everyone in the industry today talks about the Internet of Things as if it’s a mystical animal, Jha stressed “it is not. But first, we need to define it.”

    He defined IoT as all devices “used in a sensorial environment, connected and share their sensor state with the Internet to optimize computing.”

    For IoT, “Ultra-low power consumption isn’t an incidental fact,” said Jha. It’s the first and foremost requirement for semiconductors to make IoT happen.

    Comparing IoT devices to a PC “which typically needs the power of 20kWh, running 3 to 4 hours” and a smartphone “that demands 2kWh, operating 24 hours,” Jha said, “IoT requires energy of 200 milliwatt-hours and it must last 2 years.” Equally important is its cost. “We are talking about an average selling price equivalent to $1.”

    So, why FD-SOI and RF-SOI are the right technologies at the right time?

    Jha, in his keynote, unequivocally stated that Globalfoundries’ 22nm FDSOI platform provides “14-nm FinFET-like performance at 28nm equivalent gate cost.” It offers ultra-low power, high performance “at 0.4V operating voltage.” Designers can also use software-controlled transistor body-biasing for further optimization, he added.

    Reply
14. September 20, 2015 at 6:14 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Parm Mann / HEXUS.net:
    AMD Chief Architect of Microprocessor Cores Jim Keller departs company again after 3 years — Legendary CPU architect Jim Keller leaves AMD — AMD has experienced its fair share of high-profile departures this year, but today’s exit is arguably the one that will resonate with the enthusiast community and AMD’s most fervent fans.

    Legendary CPU architect Jim Keller leaves AMD
    http://hexus.net/tech/news/cpu/86585-legendary-cpu-architect-jim-keller-leaves-amd/

    AMD has experienced its fair share of high-profile departures this year, but today’s exit is arguably the one that will resonate with the enthusiast community and AMD’s most fervent fans.

    Jim Keller, former Chief Architect of Microprocessor Cores, will leave the company today to pursue other opportunities.

    Well known for his work during AMD’s heyday, Keller (pictured) was involved in the creation of the original Athlon architecture, K7, and then served as a lead architect on K8. After playing an instrumental role in developing the world’s first native x86-64 bit architecture, Keller later joined Apple and helped develop the company’s A4 and A5 SoCs before rejoining AMD in 2012 to spearhead the firm’s upcoming Zen architecture.

    “Jim’s departure is not expected to impact our public product or technology roadmaps, and we remain on track for “Zen” sampling in 2016 with first full year of revenue in 2017.”

    Reply
15. September 21, 2015 at 10:26 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Dialog Shares Slump After $4.6 Billion Deal to Acquire Atmel
    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-20/dialog-semiconductor-to-buy-atmel-for-about-4-6-billion

    Dialog Semiconductor Plc fell the most in almost seven years in Frankfurt trading after agreeing to buy Atmel Corp. for about $4.6 billion — more than its own market value — to expand into the automotive industry and everyday objects that are increasingly connected to the Internet.

    The cash-and-share offer for San Jose, California-based Atmel, a maker of chips used in industrial machinery and cars, values the target at $10.42 a share, or 43 percent more than the stock’s last closing price.

    Dialog shares fell as much as 16 percent, the steepest decline since November 2008.

    Both companies’ boards support the deal, which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2016, subject to regulatory and shareholders approval. Atmel said last month it was considering strategic options, and China Electronics Corp. was said to have held preliminary talks to acquire Atmel.

    The takeover extends a record year for semiconductor deals, as chipmakers combine to counter slowing growth and increasing costs. Intel Corp. agreed to buy Altera Corp. for $16.7 billion in June to defend its presence in data centers. Dutch chipmaker NXP Semiconductors NV agreed to acquire Freescale Semiconductor Ltd. for about $11.8 billion in cash and stock in March to cut costs and expand in chips for cars.

    Reply
16. September 21, 2015 at 2:22 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Apple Seen Splitting 14/16nm Orders Among Foundries into 2016
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327722&

    Apple, the world’s largest buyer of chips made with leading process technology, is likely to divvy up its orders for 14/16nm products this year and next as part of a strategy to gain pricing power over foundry suppliers such as Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), according to six analysts surveyed by EE Times.

    TSMC, which since 2014 has enjoyed sole-source status for Apple’s A8 processor that powers the iPhone 6, is wrestling with Samsung to dominate the supply of Apple’s new A9 and A10 processors, according to the analysts. To enhance its pricing power, Apple has also qualified Global Foundries as a third source, the analysts say.

    The focus is on Apple’s yet-to-be released A10 processor, expected sometime in 2016.

    “TSMC will receive one-third of Apple’s A9 allocation and half of its A10 allocation,”

    Reply
17. September 21, 2015 at 2:22 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Q&A with GloFo CEO: ‘IoT Is No Mystical Animal’
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327709&

    PC shipments are going down all over the world. The smartphone market is losing steam. The chip industry is expecting a down year in 2016. Practically every chip vendor in the world is groping for growth drivers for the semiconductor market.

    Sanjay Jha (Photo: EE Times)
    Sanjay Jha
    (Photo: EE Times)

    Globalfoundries’ CEO Sanjay Jha came to Shanghai this week and said that mobility and pervasive computing will continue to drive the industry. But he emphasized that many applications expected to drive the industry’s growth – which includes mass market smartphones, M2M, IoT and automotive – “don’t require the cost and complexity of FinFET.”

    Reply
18. September 21, 2015 at 2:24 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    New York Investor Offers to Buy Korea’s MagnaChip
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327730&

    New York based investment firm Pleasant Lake Partners LLC has made an offer to acquire MagnaChip Semiconductor Corp. (Seoul, South Korea) a designer and manufacturer of analog and mixed-signal ICs and a provider of foundry services.

    PLP’s $10 per share offer therefore represents $311 million and values MagnaChip at about $345 million. MagnaChip is a public company traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The offer represents a premium of 29 percent to MagnaChip’s close price on the Friday before the offer was made on August 31.

    Reply
19. September 21, 2015 at 9:22 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Why Hardware Development Takes Longer in the West Than in China (Video)
    http://build.slashdot.org/story/15/09/21/1841222/why-hardware-development-takes-longer-in-the-west-than-in-china-video

    this section of Tim’s lengthy interview with people from the Popup Factory seemed like it would be of broader interest to Slashdot people — and your coworkers, bosses, and friends who may be involved in device production or prototyping. There are some hard words

    Comments:
    It takes longer in the west because you have to pay your workers, pay attention to environmental impact, and provide for at least minimal worker safety. Yeah, but I am sure co-location is a huge win, way bigger than free-ish labor, and no accountability.

    If you’re in Shenzen you can take a walk and pick up all the components you need for your prototype project in the morning and assemble them in the afternoon.

    Here in the US we have to order the components from china and it takes weeks to months.

    Reply
20. September 22, 2015 at 7:32 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    IoT Boosting MCU Market, Says IHS
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327750&

    The market for MCUs used in connected cars, wearable electronics, building automation and other IoT applications is expected to grow at an overall compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11 percent, from USD1.7 billion in 2014 to USD2.8 billion in 2019, according to market research company IHS Inc.

    Meanwhile, the overall MCU market is expected to grow at a CAGR of just 4 percent through 2019.

    “What some still consider to be only hype surrounding emerging IoT trends has already begun disrupting the MCU market,” said Tom Hackenberg, senior analyst for IHS Technology. “In fact, without the influence of IoT application growth, the MCU market is predicted to stagnate by the end of the decade.”

    According to the latest Microcontroller Market Tracker from IHS Technology, IoT comprises both existing Internet-protocol- (IP-) addressable devices and Internet-connectable electronic devices. This definition differs from the Internet of everything (IoE), whereby even unconnected electronics and unconnected objects are expected to be represented on the Web.

    HS sub-divides the IoT market into three distinct categories: controllers, such as PCs and smartphones; infrastructure, such as routers and servers; and nodes, such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, traffic lights and appliances. “Each of these categories offers a distinct opportunity for suppliers of hardware, software and services,” Hackenberg said.

    “The IoT trend has a strong relationship with the MCU market, as the small nodes used for connectivity, and sensor hubs to collect and log data, are primarily based on MCU platforms,” Hackenberg continued. “Most serious suppliers of MCUs are already closely following the hype around the billions of connected devices; however, the industry’s challenge now is to quantify this new opportunity, since IoT is a conceptual trend, not a device, application or even a new feature.”

    Reply
21. September 22, 2015 at 7:39 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Zero to Market in Under 6 Months!
    http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327741&

    Chinese smartphone vendors are setting a record pace in fast decision-making and enabling new features.

    China is a unique balance of pragmatism, speed and high tech. I am continually impressed by the unparalleled pace at which Chinese manufacturers move from concept to production of highly complex products, which was the focus of my last EE Times blog, “On the High-speed Train to Handset Innovation” (September 4, 2015).

    Other than China, I cannot think of another country where a new smartphone could reach consumers in just a few months. But that is exactly what happened when PNI Sensor began working with Hisense, the world’s fourth largest maker of TVs and an emerging player in smartphones, primarily for the massive Chinese market.

    Amazingly, within 24 hours of first presenting to Hisense, we learned that we had a new design win in the next Hisense smartphone. Needless to say, it was a very stressful few hours for our traveling team.

    The resulting product, HS-E622M, is a large-screen, thin, light and attractive smartphone running Android 4.4 KitKat on a 1.2 GHz quad core processor. The phone began shipping in March 2015 — a mere five months after our first meeting.

    I now know why we feel like we can barely keep up in the electronics industry: China is setting a new record pace.

    Reply
22. September 22, 2015 at 7:41 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Design Options for Next Billion IoT Devices
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327743&

    We’ve all heard enough about the 20 to 50 billion connected devices that are supposed to flood the market by 2020. On one hand, the big numbers expected for the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) market have stirred hope in the semiconductor industry. On the other, many chipmakers are feeling IoT fatigue before the promised market is born.

    Sanjay Jha, CEO of Globalfoundries came to the Shanghai FD-SOI Forum last week, and told the audience that it’s time for the industry to define IoT. More important, he said that the industry must develop realistic strategies to meet the technical requisites of IoT devices.

    Among a surfeit of theories, predictions and technology horse-race stories on IoT, it’s time to hear from someone who has actually done the due diligence, made design choices and developed his own new IoT chipset.

    He defines IoT devices as “almost free,” with a multi-year battery life and a very small foot print while featuring “world-wide connectivity.”

    Following these parameters, he sought 18 months ago a chip solution to enable a sub-$5 finished product, with average power consumption at less than 100mA.

    “We wanted to make sure that the IoT device survives on a coin battery,” said Bagalkotkar. The module had to be “inconspicuous,” as it is there to track location, temperature, pressure and other data, he said. The design goal was also set to enable worldwide connection via LTE.

    The solution the Synapse’s team came up with is a full-LTE chipset consisting of sensors, modem ASIC and RF ASIC.

    The chip set demands “smart architecture, process technology for extreme low power, efficient software and firmware and LTE compliance,” he concluded.

    The crux, though, is that the chipset must meet two opposite requirements. On one end, it must consume “little to no power,” while on the other, it requires high frequency.

    Standby mode
    The biggest challenge for its modem ASIC is that it must achieve “extreme low leakage when in standby mode.” Bagalkotkar said, “We realize that standby power consumes most of the energy.” That implies that an “always ON” block with state retention is necessary and standby current less than 10uA, he explained.

    Equally important in the modem ASIC is to enable high CPU MIPS in active mode. Bagalkotkar explained that LTE signal processing and protocol stack demand clocks of 300+MHZ, to ensure peak transmission power. Other requirements include low execution latency and minimizing dynamic power.

    Synapse Design looked at a few different technology options to achieve these goals. The process options they examined included: 40nm LP, 28nm Bulk and 28nm FD-SOI

    Beyond Synapse, other vendors have wondered if they could get away with a low-cost 40nm LP to enable IoT devices.

    Bagalkotkar said, “40nm LP’s low mask cost could be attractive.” However, he noted that 40nm LP falls short of the performance requirement for an IoT device he had to design. More specifically, it doesn’t offer high dynamic power. Its vdd (voltage drain drain) range is limited and its die size is too large.

    The Synapse team also looked at 28LP bulk. Its high performance, small die and low dynamic power make 28LP bulk a good option. But it was rejected as a viable option for IoT devices because of its “higher standby power,” said Bagalkotkar, along with limited low vdd operation.

    Design Choice
    Synapse in the end chose to go with 28nm FD-SOI. The process technology met all prerequisites, including high performance, small die, low dynamic power, very low standby power and wider vdd range, said Bagalkotkar. Body biasing further optimizes lower standby power, he added. Its only drawback? “No well known FD-SOI-based products in the market yet,” he said.

    Synapse’s IoT chipset is designed for an M2M device. Its LTE connection complies to LTE CAT 3 Release 9. The purpose for this particular M2M device is to take sensor data and send it directly to the cloud.

    Bagalkotkar is not disclosing the name of the company who will be using his IoT chipset. The company is still “in a stealth mode.”

    Reply
23. September 22, 2015 at 7:43 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Japan Shares Minimal Fab Technology with Vietnam
    Stephen Padilla, EE Times Asia
    9/21/2015 07:28 PM EDT
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327758&

    Vietnam’s Hi-tech Park in Ho Chi Minh City and a Japanese partner recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to study and improve a new semiconductor production system called Minimal Fab< technology, Vietnam Net reported.

    Vietnam is the first country to access the new technology that Japanese scientists introduced to the country in 2012.

    A Minimal Fab utilises a 12.5mm production unit with a production line that costs about $5 million only. It enables the small-scale production of wafers, sensors and chips used in electronic devices including phones, tablets, air conditioners and washing machines.

    Helping to eliminate the need for a clean room is a localised cleaning technology with a Minimal Shuttle, a sealed conveyance container. With this, capital investment in production equipment is reduced to as much as 1/1,000.

    Tat Thanh Cang, vice chair of the municipal People's Committee, emphasised that the semiconductor industry is one of the city's four key sectors. He also said that Vietnamese small- and medium-sized enterprises will benefit from the Minimal Fab model, adding that the project will help improve the development of the national semiconductor industry.

    A total of 100 Minimal Fab units have already been completed by the Japanese partner, which has also developed semiconductor devices from the equipment. Vietnam is set to receive the completed Minimal Fab technology within three years.

    Reply
24. September 22, 2015 at 7:43 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Dialog to Acquire Atmel for USD4.6bn in IoT Push
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327749&amp;

    U.K.-based Dialog Semiconductor PLC is to buy Atmel Corp. in a $4.6 billion cash-and-stock deal in a move to try and capture a larger slice of the Internet of Things (IOT) market.

    Dialog sells chips used to manage power in high-end smartphones from Apple Inc. and others. Atmel, based in San Jose, Calif., focuses on microcontrollers that provide computing power for many kinds of consumer and business hardware.

    Reply
25. September 22, 2015 at 7:59 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Multiport VNA improves test throughput
    http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4440371/Multiport-VNA-improves-test-throughput?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150921&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150921&elq=c33269e774bf4cdc87a78244c14edc43&elqCampaignId=24856&elqaid=28195&elqat=1&elqTrackId=d016fc5a9f3d4ab69f23d340b2fdefde

    Covering a frequency range of 1 MHz to 9 GHz, the M9485A PXIe vector network analyzer (VNA) from Keysight Technologies allows S-parameter measurements on 12 ports in one chassis and 24 ports in two chassis. According to the manufacturer, the multiport architecture of the M9485A achieves measurement speeds that are up to 30% faster than competing offerings, while maintaining high dynamic range.

    The M9485A is intended for high-volume wireless component manufacturing of front-end modules, switches, and filters used in mobile phones and base stations. With its multiport capability, all receivers synchronize with a common source to measure all S-parameters at once.

    Multichannel PXI switches perform fault insertion
    http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4440385/Multichannel-PXI-switches-perform-fault-insertion?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150921&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150921&elq=c33269e774bf4cdc87a78244c14edc43&elqCampaignId=24856&elqaid=28195&elqat=1&elqTrackId=9e03e7079b0348008c7d62c9fd49cdb9

    Pickering’s latest PXI switch modules, the 40-200 and 40-201, allow the introduction of fault connections for testing differential serial interfaces. The modules allow manufacturers to simulate communication failures and other interruptions to ensure the response of safety-critical communications systems used in automotive and aerospace environments.

    Reply
26. September 22, 2015 at 11:17 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Converter Transformation Shows How Far We’ve Come
    http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327754&amp;

    A comparison of functionally identical linear and switching AC/DC converters makes the change (for the better) over the last few decades very clear.

    We know that switching power supplies (converters), whether AC/DC or DC/DC, are almost always more efficient than linear versions. We also know that the weight and size difference is also dramatic, as well as much more tangible and immediately apparent. But sometimes, you have to see the two power supplies side-by-side to have that reality hit you.

    The numbers for these units, both rated at 5 V/1 A, are dramatic and tell the story beyond just efficiency, which I didn’t measure:

    Original unit: 510 grams (18 oz), 55 mm x 80 mm x 55 mm
    Replacement: 70 grams (2.5 oz), 45 mm x 50 mm x 25 mm

    That’s a huge savings in weight and size: the switching unit is about 1/7 the weight and ¼ the size of the linear one shipped with the drive.

    Don’t drop this 5 V/2 A linear supply, you could break a toe—but it does inspire confidence due to the size and heft, which were considered state-of-the-art at the time, circa 1977.

    Reply
27. September 22, 2015 at 1:48 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Synopsys Touts IP Portfolio for IoT
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327767&amp;

    EDA and intellectual property vendor Synopsys Inc. Tuesday (Sept. 22) announced a broad portfolio of IP for Internet of Things (IoT) applications, including wearables, smart appliances, meters and wireless sensor networks.

    The DesignWare IP portfolio for IoT was largely assembled through acquisitions that Synopsys has made this year and represents a significant investment on the part of the company, according to Ron Lowman, strategic marketing manager for IoT at Synopsys. The portfolio is specifically designed for ultra-low power 40nm and 55nm process technologies and includes processor cores, logic libraries, memory compilers, non-volatile memory, data converters, wired and wireless interface IP, security IP and a sensor and control IP subsystem.

    Lowman said Synopsys realized the unique requirements of the IoT demand IP specifically tailored to address them. “We couldn’t just slap an ‘IoT’ label on our existing IP,” he added.

    “Adding connectivity and security is a pretty big task,” Lowman said. “But the thing that is incredibly difficult is adding those things adds tremendous resources on chip, and the power envelope of these devices is expected to even extend battery life beyond what it’s been. And that’s a big challenge.”

    Acquisitions that Synopsys made to create the DesignWare IP portfolio for the IoT include the July acquisition of Bluetooth Smart IP from Silicon Vision to address connectivity and the June acquisition of Technologies, a provider of security IP cores and software.

    Reply
28. September 22, 2015 at 1:49 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Analog text books never go out of style, especially ones edited by famous analog engineers.

    Source: http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=31&doc_id=1327763&amp;

    Reply
29. September 22, 2015 at 1:51 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    TSMC Discusses Next MEMS, Monolithic Mics
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327765&amp;

    To expand its role as a supplier to fabless MEMS vendors foundry TSMC plans to use its advantages in being able to combine CMOS logic and MEMS sensors together to come up with innovative sensors and use cases.

    It plans to do this both through its capabilities in stacking and packaging multiple die and through monolithic integration, according to Kees Joosse, director of business development at TSMC Europe.

    In his talk Joosse discussed TSMC’s portfolio of sensor and display technologies and also how the sensor technology can be married to RF and power management processes to create wireless sensor nodes for the Internet of Things. A second theme developed by Joosse was that sensors could be used not only to enhance the senses humans have but also to physical parameters that humans cannot, such as near-infrared light, gas identification, ultrasound.

    However, when asked a the same conference on the benefits of going monolithic with MEMS microphones, Alfons Dehe, principal MEMS analyst at Infineon Technologies AG said that bringing the MEMS and ASIC together monolithically tends to be limit to one or both of the chips and is generally not a good thing. He said it might be a good thing you need to go very small.

    Reply
30. September 23, 2015 at 8:09 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Dialog to Acquire Atmel for USD4.6bn in IoT Push
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327749&amp;

    U.K.-based Dialog Semiconductor PLC is to buy Atmel Corp. in a $4.6 billion cash-and-stock deal in a move to try and capture a larger slice of the Internet of Things (IOT) market.

    Dialog sells chips used to manage power in high-end smartphones from Apple Inc. and others. Atmel, based in San Jose, Calif., focuses on microcontrollers that provide computing power for many kinds of consumer and business hardware.

    The transaction continues a string of combinations in the semiconductor business, where stock prices have been held down by slowing growth and companies see advantages in merging product lines and sales forces.

    Atmel, founded in 1984, achieves about 70% of the company’s revenue from microcontrollers which are used in applications that include smartwatches, fitness devices and Arduino circuit boards. Atmel also sells chips to help manage sensors and touch screens in smartphones and tablets.

    Bagherli pointed out that Atmel has also developed technology to provide security for Internet of Things applications. “That is very, very key for IoT,” said Bagherli.

    Atmel, founded in 1984, achieves about 70% of the company’s revenue from microcontrollers which are used in applications that include smartwatches, fitness devices and Arduino circuit boards. Atmel also sells chips to help manage sensors and touch screens in smartphones and tablets.

    The combined company would have $2.7 billion in annual sales, Dialog said

    Reply
31. September 23, 2015 at 8:13 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    MEMS Technology and Manufacturing on the Microscale
    http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327742

    As modern a wonder the microelectromechnical system is, so too is its design and manufacturing.

    When you turn your tablet sideways, and the display automatically repositions itself, do you ever stop to think about what made that happen? Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are micro-scaled mechanisms designed for two primary applications:

    Sensing—changes in sound, motion, pressure, and temperature. Sensing can include not just physical movement, but also vibration, acoustic waves, fluid waves, light waves, heat, and air pressure.
    Actuating—conversion and management of light projection/reception, radio frequency signal processing, and fluid management. Actuation can include detection, filtering, conversion, and modulation.

    The size of a MEMS device typically ranges from 20 micrometers to a millimeter, while the size of MEMS sub-components is in the range of 1 to 100 micrometers. MEMS functionality has been incorporated across a wide range of industrial and consumer markets, such as automobile safety and control systems, smartphones, tablets, video game controllers, drug delivery, microphones, gas and chemical sensors, and much, much more. These markets are continuing to grow as new innovations and applications emerge

    Reply
32. September 23, 2015 at 8:14 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Not Enough Money in MEMS, Own the Data, Says InvenSense CEO
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327768&amp;

    Behrooz Abdi, CEO of fabless MEMS company InvenSense Inc. (San Jose, Calif.), has said MEMS sensor component companies should offer complete IoT application solutions including data analytics.

    What ‘s the reason for that?

    Because the price of MEMS sensor components is likely to be eroded rapidly and largest part of the value is perceived to be in the services that can be based on the data acquired by those sensors.

    “Yes the value is the data rather than the hardware,” said Abdi. “We do plan to bring end-to-end solutions to market in multiple vertical markets,” he told delegates at the European MEMS Summit, an event that was organized by SEMI on September 17 and 18 in Milan, Italy. “It requires a lot of investment but we have to take this chance and try. Otherwise it’s a race to the bottom.”

    Reply
33. September 23, 2015 at 8:19 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    16 Insights on ICs
    Industry ekes out just 2% growth in 2015
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327772

    The semiconductor industry is poised for slow steady growth that will drive more consolidation, but big technology transitions are just two to three years away. That was the conclusion of the annual fall forecast that Bill McClean, president of IC Insights, delivered here.

    The semiconductor market is expected to be nearly flat this year up two percent to $362 billion, rising just 4.9% on a compound basis through 2019 to $450 billion. A world economy chugging along at a sluggish 2-3% GDP growth for the past several years is mainly to blame.

    “This is very unusual, in 35 years I’ve been doing this, we have not seen a fairly flat five-year period of 2-3% GDP growth like this,”

    Reply
34. September 24, 2015 at 7:48 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Counterfeits Jeopardize Lives & Cost Billions
    http://www.ebnonline.com/author.asp?section_id=3816&elq=e8470eeb25bd4533a9ceeb1f7ac049a5&elqCampaignId=24890&elqaid=28237&elqat=1&elqTrackId=9d10edd83846474ebb3ee854209a8f93

    Examining the electronics global supply chain landscape, the critical nature of the problem of counterfeits and obsolete products is sobering.

    The public has heard rumors about the serious problem of electronics counterfeits for many years, but the magnitude and complexity of the challenges have only come into sharp focus over the last ten years, and in the last five years in particular. For aerospace, military, and other high tech industries, the discovery of counterfeits has ignited intense debate over how to lessen the alarming risks involved. Without a doubt, counterfeits or obsolete components can, sooner or later, fail to perform under critical circumstances. There are a number of factors which have contributed to the difficulty in under- standing what to do about obsolete and counterfeit electronics, not the least of which has been the lack of visibility of components as they travel through the supply chain.

    Many experts insist that the high prevalence of electronic counterfeits has arisen as a bi-product of the gray market, which is the unauthorized sale of new, branded products diverted from mainstream distribution channels. Some estimates state that up to 8% of total market revenue for electronics components are diverted through the gray market. For the semiconductor industry alone, which earned almost $336 billion in 2014, the gray market could account for up to $26.8 billion.

    The gray market has spawned a fraudulent and unreliable distribution system based on a marketplace clamoring for price discounts and high availability for more and more technology products. Counterfeits have crept into the gray distribution networks through rogue component design houses fronting as manufacturers, which then sell those products to independent distributors, who in turn ask the design firms to buy their products of choice from an authorized manufacturer.

    The “underground” supply chain also handles obsolete parts found in e-waste and used in remanufacturing. These obsolete parts have made their way into the hands of buyers who believe they are getting brand new products.

    In this way, counterfeit and obsolete electronics have been discovered in missile guidance systems and hundred-million-dollar aircraft, causing serious security problems for the U.S. Department of Defense and its contractors. Who made these counterfeits, and are they programmed with malicious software from terrorist organizations designed to divert flights, radars or missile controls? What about tampering with commercial aircraft electronic components?

    What happens when an obsolete component fails? Certainly lives can be at risk.

    There is understandably very little information about the sources of counterfeits.

    Reply
35. September 24, 2015 at 7:49 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Aspects of IC power dissipation
    http://www.edn.com/design/integrated-circuit-design/4440402/Aspects-of-IC-power-dissipation?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150923&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150923&elq=e8470eeb25bd4533a9ceeb1f7ac049a5&elqCampaignId=24890&elqaid=28237&elqat=1&elqTrackId=03d9d4259ce345ed826317d5b716e8f0

    Sometimes, those involved in IC design can get a very narrow view of their particular specialty area. This article, while covering some basics, aims to provide a global overview to everyone on the team, with a focus on power use (and reduction in a forthcoming article). With the reduction in size of MOS, the world of chip manufacturing has become susceptible to quantum effects which can play havoc with power consumption.

    Reply
36. September 24, 2015 at 7:51 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Moving on up: 3D printing takes on batteries
    http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/powersource/4440406/Moving-on-up–3D-printing-takes-on-batteries?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150923&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150923&elq=e8470eeb25bd4533a9ceeb1f7ac049a5&elqCampaignId=24890&elqaid=28237&elqat=1&elqTrackId=1f91bca553a94d6b80f764834d4b5844

    Three-dimensional printing technologies have been around since the late 1980s – the first patent for “stereo lithography” was issued in 1986. Back then the field was known as rapid prototyping because it was seen primarily as a quick way of fabricating prototypes for product development.

    Over time, the number of materials that can be used for 3D printing has increased. Each one requires a different procedure: the direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) process, for example, uses a high-powered 200 W Yb-fiber optic laser in conjunction with metal powder alloys such as stainless steel, cobalt chromium, inconel, and titanium to build up an object from layers as thin as 20μm. For thermoplastics, fused deposition modeling (FDM), also known fused filament fabrication (FFF), makes use of a plastic filament fed into a heated nozzle which melts it and extrudes small flattened strings of molten material to build up successive layers of the object.

    More recently, the development of conductive ink and lower-cost printers has opened up new applications, such as printed circuit boards and other electronic assemblies, including batteries. Developing more effective storage is a high priority for rapidly-expanding fields such as wearable electronics, so several teams are working on applying 3D printing to make suitable batteries at both the micro and macro levels.

    The scientists developed specialized conductive inks for both anode and cathode; each one contained nanoparticles of a different lithium metal oxide compound. The team also developed a 3D printer that could extrude the inks through an extremely narrow nozzle. The inks solidified into interlaced, ultrathin stacks of electrodes less than the width of a human hair

    Potential applications include medical implants and even miniature insect-sized robots, coming soon to a conflict zone near you, no doubt.

    Fast forward to 2015. A number of start-ups, often funded by crowdsourcing methods such as Kickstarter, are developing low-cost 3D printers that are suitable for electronic applications. In addition, new materials are becoming available for 3D printing use, notably including graphene, a two-dimensional sheet of carbon atoms bound together in a honeycomb lattice pattern that has many extraordinary properties and numerous potential applications, such as batteries.

    Start-up Graphene 3D Lab is developing a range of conductive filaments incorporating graphene nanoplatelets that can be used to produce 3D-printed batteries of any shape or size, allowing them to be easily integrated into a wide range of equipment, or printed directly into the structure of a device as it is manufactured.

    A standard FFF process is used to construct the battery structure including connectors; when activated by an electrolyte, the electrochemical reaction will cause the battery to generate voltage. The current process requires the separate printing of individual components,

    Fast forward a few more years, and 3D printing is likely to drastically change how we acquire goods

    Reply
37. September 24, 2015 at 9:37 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Managing Untethered Mobile/Wireless Batteries
    http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327739&amp;

    The MIPI Battery Interface (BIF) is a robust, scalable, single-wire communication interface for use in the management and monitoring of battery operation, designed to replace existing proprietary solutions.

    The convenience of an untethered world of mobile phones, personal wearable devices, and the many wireless sensors and controllers in our homes comes at a price: constant attention to and management of the rechargeable batteries that power them.

    Dependent as we have been on rechargeable batteries for more than a decade, it has always puzzled me that a common device- and protocol- independent standard has not emerged.

    There are many so-called smart battery management schemes available. But they are either company, industry, or application specific, despite the fact that they all use the same battery types, sizes, and chemistry.

    My candidate for a standard cross-platform battery management is the Battery Inferface (BIF) specification developed by the MIPI Alliance.

    But because it deals with only the hardware and software aspects of the communications interface and nothing particularly device specific, it looks like a good candidate for more power constrained wireless platforms such as wearables and other consumer IoT devices.

    But even with such a scheme available, there are a lot of low cost “dumb” analog batteries out there that have to be taken into account and identified. The BIF working group has taken that into account by incorporating a pull down resistor connected between the BCL and GND, allowing a BIF based battery subsystem to identify whether the battery is a smart or low cost type, as well as identify the electrical characteristics for a low cost battery.

    Battery Interface Specification
    http://mipi.org/specifications/battery-interface?utm_source=General%20Distribution&utm_medium=News%20Wire&utm_campaign=MIPI%20Alliance%20Enhances%20its%20Battery%20Interface%20Specification

    Reply
38. September 28, 2015 at 12:32 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    John Markoff / New York Times:
    As Moore’s Law slows, engineers look to new approaches and opportunities in chip innovation

    Smaller, Faster, Cheaper, Over: The Future of Computer Chips
    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/27/technology/smaller-faster-cheaper-over-the-future-of-computer-chips.html

    At the inaugural International Solid-State Circuits Conference held on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1960, a young computer engineer named Douglas Engelbart introduced the electronics industry to the remarkably simple but groundbreaking concept of “scaling.”

    Sitting in the audience that day was Gordon Moore, who went on to help found the Intel Corporation, the world’s largest chip maker. In 1965, Dr. Moore quantified the scaling principle and laid out what would have the impact of a computer-age Magna Carta. He predicted that the number of transistors that could be etched on a chip would double annually for at least a decade, leading to astronomical increases in computer power.

    His prediction appeared in Electronics magazine in April 1965 and was later called Moore’s Law. It was never a law of physics, but rather an observation about the economics of a young industry that ended up holding true for a half-century.

    In recent years, however, the acceleration predicted by Moore’s Law has slipped. Chip speeds stopped increasing almost a decade ago, the time between new generations is stretching out, and the cost of individual transistors has plateaued.

    Technologists now believe that new generations of chips will come more slowly, perhaps every two and a half to three years.

    To put the condition of Moore’s Law in anthropomorphic terms, “It’s graying, it’s aging,” said Henry Samueli, chief technology officer for Broadcom, a maker of communications chips. “It’s not dead, but you’re going to have to sign Moore’s Law up for AARP.”

    “Look at automobiles, for example,” Dr. Colwell said. “What has driven their innovations over the past 30 years? Moore’s Law.” Most automotive industry innovations in engine controllers, antilock brakes, navigation, entertainment and security systems have come from increasingly low-cost semiconductors, he said.

    The Limits of Physics

    Chips are produced in a manufacturing process called photolithography. Since it was invented in the late 1950s, photolithography has constantly evolved. Today, ultraviolet laser light is projected through glass plates that are coated with a portion of a circuit pattern expressed in a metal mask that looks like a street map.

    The masks are used to expose hundreds of exact copies of each chip, which are in turn laid out on polished wafers of silicon about a foot in diameter.

    Machines called steppers, which currently cost about $50 million each, move the mask across the wafer, repeatedly exposing each circuit pattern to the surface of the wafer, alternately depositing and etching away metal and semiconducting components.

    A finished computer chip may require as many as 50 exposure steps, and the mask must be aligned with astonishing accuracy. Each step raises the possibility of infinitesimally small errors.

    To build devices that are smaller than the wavelength of light, chip makers have added a range of tricks like “immersion” lithography, which uses water to bend light waves sharply and enhance resolution. They also have used a technique called “multiple pattern” lithography, which employs separate mask steps to sharpen the edges and further thin the metal wires and other chip components.

    As the size of components and wires have shrunk to just a handful of molecules, engineers have turned to computer simulations that require tremendous computational power. “You are playing tricks on the physics,”

    Silicon could also give way to exotic materials for making faster and smaller transistors and new kinds of memory storage as well as optical rather than electronic communications links

    There are a number of breakthrough candidates, like quantum computing, which — if it became practical — could vastly speed processing time, and spintronics, which in the far future could move computing to atomic-scale components.

    Recently, there has been optimism in a new manufacturing technique, known as extreme ultraviolet, or EUV, lithography.

    But the technology still has not been proved in commercial production.

    Intel executives, unlike major competitors such as Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, insist the company will be able to continue to make ever-cheaper chips for the foreseeable future.

    Reply
39. September 29, 2015 at 7:30 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Andrew Cunningham / Ars Technica:
    Chipworks: Both Samsung and TSMC are making the A9 chip for Apple — And the Samsung version is smaller than the TSMC version. — The only thing that most people will need to know about Apple’s A9 is that it’s a whole lot faster than last year’s A8.

    Chipworks: Both Samsung and TSMC are making the A9 chip for Apple
    And the Samsung version is smaller than the TSMC version
    http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/09/chipworks-both-samsung-and-tsmc-are-making-the-a9-chip-for-apple/

    The only thing that most people will need to know about Apple’s A9 is that it’s a whole lot faster than last year’s A8. But for those of you who are more interested in chip design, Chipworks has unearthed an interesting tidbit: there are two different versions of the A9 chip, one manufactured by Samsung and another by Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC). Most interestingly, Samsung’s version (the APL0898) has a slightly smaller footprint than the TSMC version (APL1022).

    There have long been rumors that Apple was dual-sourcing the A8 from Samsung and TSMC, but this is the first visual proof that we’ve seen of the practice. iPhone and iPad processors up to and including the A7 were all made by Samsung.

    Apple buys other parts from multiple sources including NAND flash and RAM, but the SoC is a major component with bigger implications for performance and power. Chipworks promises a more in-depth look at how the two processors are different, but for now, all we know is that they differ in size

    Reply
40. September 29, 2015 at 12:10 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Board bundle jumpstarts motor-control projects
    http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4440433/Board-bundle-jumpstarts-motor-control-projects?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150928&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150928&elq=c1005f1dfbc94102961e3ab2814e2e6c&elqCampaignId=24949&elqaid=28312&elqat=1&elqTrackId=1b7deb4df70149d0ac759b25f95ecc6b

    STMicroelectronics offers a $35 starter kit, plus a free software algorithm, for implementing efficient vector control in low-voltage motor-driven designs, such as drones, appliances, E-bikes, home automation, health care, and industrial machinery. Comprising a microcontroller board outfitted with an STM32F302R8 32-bit MCU and a plug-in 48-V, 1.4-A motor-driver board with an L6230 driver IC, the STM32 Nucleo Pack provides a plug-and-spin platform for low-voltage three-phase DC brushless motors.

    The free PC-based MC Workbench tool simplifies customizing the motor-control library and can help set up a different motor or a different driver board from ST’s motor-control ecosystem. Preloaded sample algorithms are standard firmware from ST’s motor-control library.

    P-NUCLEO-IHM001
    Motor Control Nucleo Pack with NUCLEO-F302R8 and X-NUCLEO-IHM07M1
    http://www.st.com/web/catalog/tools/FM116/CL1620/SC1971/PF262597?icmp=tt2847_gl_pron_sep2015&sc=nucleo-f302r8-pr

    Reply
41. September 29, 2015 at 12:15 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Bringing Advanced Sensors to Consumer, Embedded and Industrial Applications
    http://www.eeweb.com/company-blog/rohm/bringing-advanced-sensors-to-consumer-embedded-and-industrial-applicat

    The modernization of electronics is played vitally by the sensors. The electronic device is more functional when sensors are made more responsive to their surroundings. An innovation known as Sensor Fusion Technology allows the combination of different sensors to develop advanced features of the electronics. Some applications need not only a single sensor, but a number of sensors to gather better information for a more intelligent reaction.

    Sensors are popping up everywhere. A wide range of consumer electronics devices make extensive use of sensors, including smartphones, tablets, and gaming equipment. To capitalize upon the growing gaming market, set-top box vendors are beginning to integrate sensor-based gaming capabilities into their systems. Perhaps the largest growth sector for intelligent sensing is the Internet of Things. This market is focused on extending awareness and connectivity everywhere and includes everything from wearable devices such as pedometers and portable medical equipment to complex industrial systems that can self-monitor themselves and their environment.

    Reply
42. September 29, 2015 at 3:16 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    First optical rectenna—combined rectifier and antenna—converts light to DC current
    http://phys.org/news/2015-09-optical-rectennacombined-rectifier-antennaconverts-dc.html

    Using nanometer-scale components, researchers have demonstrated the first optical rectenna, a device that combines the functions of an antenna and a rectifier diode to convert light directly into DC current.

    Based on multiwall carbon nanotubes and tiny rectifiers fabricated onto them, the optical rectennas could provide a new technology for photodetectors that would operate without the need for cooling, energy harvesters that would convert waste heat to electricity – and ultimately for a new way to efficiently capture solar energy.

    In the new devices, developed by engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the carbon nanotubes act as antennas to capture light from the sun or other sources. As the waves of light hit the nanotube antennas, they create an oscillating charge that moves through rectifier devices attached to them. The rectifiers switch on and off at record high petahertz speeds, creating a small direct current.

    Billions of rectennas in an array can produce significant current, though the efficiency of the devices demonstrated so far remains below one percent

    Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-09-optical-rectennacombined-rectifier-antennaconverts-dc.html#jCp

    Reply
43. September 30, 2015 at 12:56 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Advance In Super/Ultra Capacitor Tech: High Voltage and High Capacity
    http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/15/09/30/0158218/advance-in-superultra-capacitor-tech-high-voltage-and-high-capacity

    Ultracaps offer significantly faster charge and discharge rates as well as considerably longer life than batteries. Where they have uniformly fallen short is in the amount of energy they can store as compared to a battery, and also the engineering backflips required to get higher voltages

    This new development addresses these shortcomings all at once: considerably higher voltage, smaller size, higher capacitance, and to top it off, utilizes less corrosive internals. The best news of all: This new technology looks to be easy, even trivial, to manufacture, and uses inexpensive materials

    How a Microscopic Supercapacitor Will Supercharge Mobile Electronics
    Laser-etched graphene brings Moore’s Law to energy storage
    http://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductors/materials/how-a-microscopic-supercapacitor-will-supercharge-mobile-electronics

    Capacitors. Open up your computer and they stick out like rocks on a sandy beach. They’re the one kind of electronic device that never made it to Lilliput. If they finally obeyed Moore’s Law by squeezing themselves down to the microscale, it would make life a lot easier for electronics engineers.

    With tiny but powerful capacitors you could make cheaper, even tinier cardiac pacemakers and computers. They’d be great in nonvolatile memory, microsensors and actuators, RFID tags, and microelectromechanical systems, applications in which the power supplies can weigh up to 10 times as much as the other parts combined. And because, like all capacitors, such devices would be able to release their charge very rapidly, they could be coupled with high-energy batteries to provide periodic surges, as conventional capacitors do to power the flash in smartphone cameras. (Miniaturized supercapacitors could thus lead to even thinner smartphones.)

    Reply
44. October 1, 2015 at 8:26 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Post-silicon randomized functional testing finds corner-case problems
    http://www.edn.com/design/integrated-circuit-design/4440445/Post-silicon-randomized-functional-testing-finds-corner-case-problems?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150930&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150930&elq=8a0b9eeabfdf43bd9737a32f9824d522&elqCampaignId=24996&elqaid=28375&elqat=1&elqTrackId=caebc3cdcd944a7694f74c43abae40fa

    Automotive SoCs are becoming increasingly complex in design due to integration of multi-cores, dense clock-tree, increased AMS (Analog & Mixed Signal), complex power & reset management, innovative ADAS/powertrain subsystems, various interfaces, and other highly configurable modules. Throughout the development cycle, there are various pre-post silicon test scenarios executed on IP/SoC level with the objective being to uncover the system-level integration issues in the device. These observations would lead to certain design/documentation changes, resulting in a more robust customer solution.

    However, there may still be some corner case issues encountered, when certain sequences and combinations of events occur on device that have never been exercised in device testing. This paper consolidates the various areas identified for post-silicon stress tests on automotive SoC to enable early detection of system level issues:

    Clock Synchronization issues
    Regression on implemented Finite State Machines (FSM)
    Rigorous low power mode Entry/exit
    Performance aspects around Master-Slave interconnects (Crossbar)
    System behavior on Illegal register accesses

    Reply
45. October 1, 2015 at 12:25 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    A tunable duplexer is essential for the future smartphone
    http://www.edn.com/design/analog/4440470/A-tunable-duplexer-is-essential-for-the-future-smartphone?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_analog_20151001&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_analog_20151001&elq=5d2ade6ff2d14ebbb74e1282939cbd1b&elqCampaignId=25008&elqaid=28395&elqat=1&elqTrackId=e4b60263a6f44de89310cafb7478d07a

    Open up a smartphone, and you’ll find hundreds of components and chips, each with their own function and task. Among them are also many passive components, such as the filters that are responsible for a reliable communication with the network’s base stations. Today, for every frequency band that the smartphone may use, specific passive components are needed. So in the future when more frequency bands will be used to support higher data rates, just adding more components will become a blocking factor for both the size and cost of next-generation mobile devices. Unless we come up with a technical innovation. Imec is working on a tunable version for one of the most challenging passive components: the duplexer.

    “Smartphones contain a number of building blocks that enable the phone to communicate with the base station of the 2G, 3G, 4G, or LTE network,” Joris Van Driessche, program manager reconfigurable radios, explains. ”These are the baseband processor, the RF transceiver (transmitter/receiver), and the front-end module. This front-end module includes passive components such as duplexers, switches, and SAW filters, as well as active components such as power amplifiers.”

    Smartphone manufacturers are rightfully worried by the front-end module because it takes up too much space. If we want smaller smartphones, or smartphones integrated in wristbands or glasses (smart watches and smart glasses), then a solution must be found soon. “Various companies are developing solutions to make the front-end modules more compact,” said Driessche. “One possibility is to integrate a number of passive components into one small package. And other companies managed to integrate several components on one chip using SOI (silicon-on-insulator) technology.”

    The most challenging component in the front-end module is without doubt the duplexer. It’s the component that ensures the transmitter and receiver are isolated from one another, so that their function is not disturbed.

    According to Driessche, “Today’s duplexers operate at a specific frequency band, so in a wireless application that uses 7 to 9 frequency bands, you’ll also need 7 to 9 duplexers.”

    At ISSCC and the Mobile World Congress, imec researchers unveiled their first reconfigurable duplexer. “The solution is indeed to use tunable components that support the many frequency bands,” said Driessche. “Our prototype tunable duplexer – Hi-FEM1 – is a clear step in that direction.”

    In maybe three years’ time, these reconfigurable components will be available for use in smartphones. But in the meantime, there is still a lot of work.

    Reply
46. October 1, 2015 at 12:26 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Integrated multiplexed input ADC saves PCB area, power, and cost for high channel count systems
    http://www.edn.com/design/analog/4440468/Integrated-multiplexed-input-ADC-saves-PCB-area–power-and-cost-for-high-channel-count-systems?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_analog_20151001&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_analog_20151001&elq=5d2ade6ff2d14ebbb74e1282939cbd1b&elqCampaignId=25008&elqaid=28395&elqat=1&elqTrackId=6dcb70344711479c930480425a2a2ab4

    Multi-channel precision data acquisition systems utilized in industrial, instrumentation, optical communication and healthcare applications are driving the demand for high channel count, low power and compact form factors to address the increased printed circuit board (PCB) density and thermal power consumption challenges. System designers make trade-offs among performance, thermal stability, and PCB density to maintain optimum balance and they are continually pressed to find innovative ways to tackle these challenges while minimizing overall bill of material (BOM) cost.

    This article highlights the design considerations for multiplexed data acquisition systems and focuses on an integrated multiplexed input ADC solution to address these technical challenges for space constrained applications such as optical transceivers, wearable medical devices and other portable instruments. The proposed low power solution using an integrated multiplexed input 8-channel, 16-bit, 250kSPS PulSAR ADC AD7689 available in a miniature, wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) footprint saves over 60% board space for these applications while offering precision performance and flexible configuration.

    Multichannel data acquisition systems typically employ either discrete or integrated multiplexed and simultaneously sampled analog signal chains for interfacing with various sensor types such as temperature, pressure, optical, vibration, and many more based on the application requirements.

    Reply
47. October 1, 2015 at 12:27 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Home> Community > Blogs > Embedded Insights
    Hush noisy steppers with novel drive algorithm
    http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/embedded-insights/4440449/Hush-noisy-steppers-with-novel-drive-algorithm?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_analog_20151001&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_analog_20151001&elq=5d2ade6ff2d14ebbb74e1282939cbd1b&elqCampaignId=25008&elqaid=28395&elqat=1&elqTrackId=ec56b3b430ef400ba3f6e04d1722d4f0

    For a wide variety of reasons, a common method for controlling a stepper motor’s movement is to apply a voltage across the motor’s coils and monitor the resulting current, removing the voltage when the current exceeds a threshold.

    Because control is based on current passing a threshold, electrical noise in the current measurement can trigger early turn-off of the voltage. To minimize the impact of noise, especially at high speeds, controllers typically use a PWM frequency much higher than the target step rate for the motor. The sounds the motor generates directly relate to this PWM frequency, so the higher the pulse frequency the sharper the sound.

    Trinamic, however, has taken a different approach, which it calls StealthChop. Under this algorithm, the driver circuits operate under conventional current control for high motor speeds, but at lower motor speeds the driver senses not the current’s instantaneous magnitude but the time the current remains above the threshold. This approach makes the control less sensitive to electrical noise in the current sensor and uses a lower PWM frequency than would otherwise be employed. Both factors help reduce the amount of audible sound the motor produces – as much as 10 dB, the company claims.

    Reply
48. October 5, 2015 at 7:16 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Slumping PC Market Plagues Micron
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327877&amp;

    Memory chip vendor Micron Technology Inc. Wednesday (Oct. 1) reported a third straight quarter of declining revenue due largely to an ongoing slump in the PC market.

    Micron (Boise, Idaho) attributed the fiscal fourth quarter sales decline primarily to a 7% decline in DRAM average selling prices and relatively flat DRAM sales volume. DRAM revenue, which accounted for 60% of the company’s fiscal fourth quarter sales, declined by 8% sequentially, Micron said.

    Non-volatile memory sales also declined by 7% in the quarter as the result of lower sales volume, Micron said.

    “While fourth quarter results were impacted by continued weakness in the PC sector, we believe memory industry fundamentals remain favorable over the long term and we are focused on improving our competitive position through deployment of advanced technologies and system level solutions,” said Mark Durcan, Micron’s CEO, in a conference call with analysts following the quarterly report.

    Reply
49. October 5, 2015 at 7:17 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Put FPGAs In Your SoCs
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327881&amp;

    Flex Logix Technologies Inc. has created a new species of product. The Mountain View, Calif. company has added field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) to SoCs.

    Flex Logix began with a new type of FPGA based on IP from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), which almost doubled the number of usable gates per chip. The new FPGAs eliminated more than 20% of the room needed for interconnect and switches, Co-Founder and CEO Geoff Tat told EE Times in an exclusive interview, and there is now nearly 50% more room for gates.

    As the ARM of FPGAs, many of Flex Logix’s design blocks go next to ARM processor blocks for which they have prefab interface compatibility with ARM’s busses and other architectural features. The FPGAs accelerate ARM, MIPs or any other microcontroller the customer is using. Plus they one-up the microcontroller IP suppliers by supplying both hardware and a programming environment that allows the customer to upgrade their FPGA in-the-field when new protocols, encryption algorithms, packet parsing methods or anything else comes along that requires re-configuring the embedded FPGA.

    Flex Logix has only been in business since March of 2014, but already has its second generation parts in fab and its first design wins. Since its customers make the SoC in the foundry of their choice, all Flex Logix has to do is meet the performance, size and low-power specifications of the design.

    Reply
50. October 5, 2015 at 7:18 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    AMD Cuts 5% of Global Employees
    Company hopes to turn around finances after several poor quarters
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327875&amp;

    Advanced Micro Devices has joined the list of large semiconductor companies handing out pink slips. A recently adopted restructuring plan to help improve poor fiscal results calls for a 5% reduction in the company’s global workforce.

    AMD has 9,469 employees as of June 2015 and will cut approximately 470 positions. The restructuring plan will target “all sites, all levels, all functions,” an AMD spokesman said, adding that engineers will represent a smaller portion of layoffs. Cuts will mostly come from sales, marketing, and operations segments.

    “Server remains a high priority for us. When we introduce our new CPU core Zen, that will help return us into higher performance in both the client and server space,” the spokesperson told EE Times.

    Reply