Aish Dubey

Dear Keysight Technologies, please don't 🙅‍♀️lay off anybody at Synopsys Optical Solutions Group (formerly RSoft Design Group) / Synopsys​ Optical Solutions. Not 1 person. They're magical 🧙‍♂️ superstars and we need all of them. A few days ago, news broke about  Synopsys' optics 🔦📸 stuff getting sold to Keysight, likely to let  the Synopsys takeover of Ansys  happen  without it getting stopped 🛑 by those annoying (j/k)  antitrust laws. I learned the news 📰 from Julius Muschaweck's post and was 1 of the nerds 🤓 that wrote the FTC about why if ALL THE OPTICALS BELONG TO SYNOPSYS  would be scary 😱 -- thanks to Max Henkart's public pleas to other optical engineers  to join his letter-writing 📩 efforts. This may be great news! BUT one thing I worry 😬 about -- is the prospect of losing any of the  critically valuable  knowledge 🧠 and people  to layoffs/restructuring. So Keysight,  in case you aren't aware  (but I really hope you are) optical simulations and the software associated is more like an artform 🎨 than a TI-89 calculator. 📲 It takes years 🗓️🗓️🗓️ of working with it to know how to best make it fit real-world 🌎 results. It takes even more years of experience to guide 👨‍🏫 others and explain the deeper levels of its functioning.  It isn't all completely explained in a manual 📖 somewhere. All the pros 😎🤩😏🥸😇 at Synopsys Optical Solutions Group are important, integral parts of the tools 🪛🛠️ you'll be selling. Please keep every precious one! #opticalengineering #simulations #optics #illumination #imaging #lighttools #codev #lucidshape #zemax #speos #lighting #ansys #synopsys #keysight

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/startrant A floorplan needs a human to start the tool somewhere to be able to get reasonably fast to a solution that has a chance of success. Because this is pure probability. Simplistic (KISS principle, I was made for teaching you): if you have 8 flops and you have 8 positions to place them, the first flop is placed at random in 8 potential places. Then the next flop has 7 possible positions. Then 6, 5, 4 ... until there is only one place left. But, we only looked at flops and we restricted the places to just 8 positions. Designs with hundreds of millions of gates are therefor a N! problem. And in the design, if you group two SPIs together (logically) and have them physically on different sides of the die, fictitious but plausible scenario, you can be constrained by the way the design is structured. You can flatten all hierarchy but if you use internal UVM agents, you need to connect to known signal names. In the nineties we were all-round engineers, knowing all front-end tasks and the consequence on backend work. Today we have partitioning, designers hating verification engineers and vice versa while working on the same goal, because we don't understand each other anymore. The whole blowup of the tape-out cost has a major factor related to simplistic hiring practices of single skilled people that are cheaper than multi-skilled people but in the end cost multiple times more in extra resources needed, waste (the circle problem between walled-off teams), over budget and too late for market tape-outs. But the excel cheaters don't see it because they are monitoring JIRA bugs opening and closed to get a feel of what is happening on the floor. Humans never learn and are never able to see their destructive influence on innovation and continuous improvement. /endrant

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𝐒𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 Source: By Bill Jewell via Semiconductor Intelligence, LLC (https://lnkd.in/gkzgfPXc) #Nvidia remained the largest semiconductor company in 3Q #2024 with $35.1 billion in revenue due to its strength in #AI #GPUs. Nvidia sells its #AI GPUs as modules which include memory supplied by SK hynix, Micron Technology, and #Samsung as well as other components supplied by outside vendors. Thus, NVIDIA’s #semiconductor revenue from its own devices is less than its total revenue. However, #Nvidia would still be the largest semiconductor company even if externally purchased components were excluded. #Samsung Semiconductor was second at $22.0 billion with memory for #AI servers cited as a major revenue driver. Broadcom remained third with its guidance for 3Q 2024 at $14.0 billion. Broadcom highlighted its #AI #semiconductors as a growth driver. Intel and SK Hynix rounded out the top five. The third quarter of 2024 was robust for most major semiconductor companies. The memory companies #SKHynix, #MicronTechnology, and KIOXIA America, Inc. all reported double-digit revenue growth in 3Q 2024 versus 2Q 2024. #Nvidia and AMD each reported 17% growth due to AI data center demand. The only company showing declining revenue was Renesas Electronics, down 3.8% due to a weak automotive market and inventory reductions. The weighted average revenue growth for 3Q 2024 versus 2Q 2024 for the sixteen companies was 10%. The outlook for 4Q 2024 shows diverging trends. The #datacenter market, driven by AI, is expected to lead to substantial revenue growth for #Nvidia, #Micron, and #AMD. Samsung Semiconductor and #SKHynix did not provide specific 4Q 2024 #revenue guidance, but both cited AI server demand as strong. Companies which are dependent on the automotive industry expect a weak 4Q 2024. Infineon Technologies, Texas Instruments, NXP Semiconductors, and Renesas Electronics all guided for revenue declines in 4Q 2024 based on a weak #automotive market and inventory reductions. STMicroelectronics also cited these factors but expects a 2.1% revenue increase. The companies heavily dependent on smartphones have differing revenue expectations, with Qualcomm guiding up 7.2% and MediaTek guiding down 1.0%. The weighted average guidance for 4Q 2024 versus 3Q 2024 is a 3% increase. However, the individual company guidance varies widely, from plus 12% from #Micron to an 18% decline from #Infineon and a 19% decline from #Renesas.

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#Startup Tackles #Chiplet Design Complexity 💡 Baya Systems is coming out of stealth mode to take the guess work out of #chiplets 👏 In a briefing with EE Times | Electronic Engineering Times, Nandan Nayampally, Baya’s chief commercial officer, said that with #SoC and chiplet system design, as well as #software development complexity exploding, there is also a growing need to accelerate analysis, design, and deployment of chiplets. He said Baya’s broader agenda is to tackle the data movement bottleneck faced by #AI workloads in #heterogeneous #computing environments, or what Baya said is now “intelligent compute.” Nayampally said a more cohesive system is necessary to reduce data movement, even as more complex #memory hierarchies and processing solutions are coupled together. Chiplets provide a solution but even with standardization, there is a need for tools to support an end-to-end workflow as software development for both them and SoCs gets more complex, he added. A big thank you again to Gary Hilson and EE Times | Electronic Engineering Times for the full article with more background and insights via the link below 💡🙏👇 https://lnkd.in/es_tUdPh #semiconductorindustry #semiconductormanufacturing #semiconductor #technology #innovation #tech #chip #chips #ic #foundry #aiot #it #ml #cloud #datacenter #data #computing #computer #server

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Great article with insights by Bernard Murphy at SemiWiki.com, "Arteris Frames Network-On-Chip Topologies in the Car." "... while there is plenty of complexity in evolving car architectures and the consequent impact on subsystem chip/chiplet designs, connected on-chip through both coherent and non-coherent networks, the intent behind these systems is quite clear. We just need to start thinking about total car system architecture rather than individual chip functions." #Arteris #NetworkOnChip #Automotive https://bit.ly/3UiKqls

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Cadence Design Systems is up 10% today following the release of its Q3 results. Here’s what was reported: 1️⃣ Revenue of $1.215 B (vs revenue of $1.023 B Q3 2023) 2️⃣ GAAP operating margin of 29% (vs 29% in Q3 2023) 3️⃣ Non-GAAP operating margin of 45% (vs 41% in Q3 2023) 4️⃣ GAAP diluted net income per share of $0.87 (vs $0.93 in Q3 2023) 5️⃣ Non-GAAP diluted net income per share of $1.64 (vs $1.26 in Q3 2023) 6️⃣ Quarter-end backlog was $5.6 billion and contract revenue to be recognized in 12 months was $2.9 billion

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people pondering why we don't have 128bit systems in reality a huge number of "computers" being shipped annually, possibly a majority, isn't even 64 bits vast majority of microcontrollers are 32 bit or less and even in a number of 64 bit applications (which the computer industry went to mainly because 32bit could only address 4GB) where custom buses can be designed, address buses are often 48 or 56 bits (and even those can't be fully utilised, just that the architects over-provision) even in very large compute systems the arithmetic also rarely uses 64 bit directly (float in C is 32 bits; to get to 64 you need to use double; it is useful but relatively infrequently), so data bus width of 64 is useful because more parallel wires allow faster bandwidth for packetized data on Network-on-chip (or fabric), and as far as the data bus width is concerned, that is in fact very often larger than 64 bits ( even if the address space is less than 64 bits) in other words, vast majority of computers aren't really 64bits even today in any meaningful sense. just that people don't know about those computers https://lnkd.in/dhFrhVb2

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A very interesting blog by Giuseppe Piccolboni of Weebit Nano Ltd about the use of our #ReRAM for #neuromorphic applications

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"Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are increasing their investment in automotive semiconductors as they move deeper into the supply chain to gain competence and ensure they have the components they need for electrification and advanced driving systems (...) Most Japanese and European OEMs are taking a more traditional approach to the transition as they are used to working with the established supply chain (...) Chinese OEMs are focusing much more on semiconductors both in breadth (the Car metric) and in depth (the Chip metric). These investments allow them to move faster in development. Chinese OEMs tend to be more deeply involved in the semiconductor supply chain compared to their competitors in other countries, covering more technologies (...) China’s NIO has also developed its own ADAS SoC, and other automakers are set to follow in producing their own chips" #automotiveindustry #semiconductorindustry https://lnkd.in/et54c8xU

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Tackling Data Retention in SSDs (by Anil Burra from Intelligent Memory) 🤩 "SSDs have conquered the market due to their speed, durability, energy efficiency, and small form factor. However, write endurance and data retention are concerns in #embedded and #industrial applications, especially as the technology moves to ever smaller nodes." (Anil Burra) With the scaling of #NAND #flash #technology to higher densities (e.g., Triple-Level-Cell or Quad Level-Cell) and smaller process nodes, data retention becomes more challenging due to increased cell-to-cell interference and reduced margins for charge storage. Therefore, newer #technologies may have shorter specified data retention periods compared to older, more robust #SLC (Single-Level-Cell) or #MLC (Mul ti-Level-Cell) #NAND products. Two key factors affect data retention, the period over which #flashmemory can store #data without loss or corruption, in #NANDflash cells: program/erase (P/E) cycling and operating temperature. A very big thank you to Anil Burra from Intelligent Memory for this insightful article via Electronic Specifier Ltd with more background and insights via the link below 💡🙏👇 - A very good read to an important TOPIC 🤩 https://lnkd.in/eqdH7-N2 #semiconductorindustry #semiconductormanufacturing #innovation #it #ai #ssd #datastorage #automotiveindustry #embeddedsystems #ic #computer #computing #iot #memory #chip #chips #technology #tech

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Check out my new blog on using our #radhard #MCU to reconfigure #Space deployed #FPGA. Please reach out if you have interest and we can provide specific details on how to deploy

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𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐤-𝐒𝐂 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐦𝐚𝐃𝐕𝐃 is a groundbreaking innovation in EDA, redefining how chip designers approach power integrity signoff. This once-in-a-decade technology captured significant attention from investors and chip designers alike at this year’s Design Automation Conference (DAC). Industry leaders like 𝐍𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐚, 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭, 𝐒𝐓, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐂 shared success stories, showcasing how SigmaDVD has helped them achieve optimal power, performance, and area (PPA). One of the standout moments was a panel discussion hosted by our VP and Head of R&D, Murat Becer, alongside industry experts like Chip Stratakos (ex-MSFT) and Mohit Jain (Qualcomm). The session was a deep dive into the future of chip design with SigmaDVD, and the video is now available on our YouTube channel. I highly recommend every chip designer watch this discussion to discover the future of power integrity signoff! 🔗 #EDA #ChipDesign #PowerIntegrity #Innovation #DAC2023 #RedHawkSC #SigmaDVD

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Texas Instruments Wins $4.6 Billion in #ChipsAct Grants, Loans - Funding will support $18 billion in spending in #Texas, #Utah - Biden administration almost finished allocating #chips grants Texas Instruments Inc. is set to receive $1.6 billion in Chips Act grants and $3 billion in loans, the #Bidenadministration announced Friday, marking the latest major award from a program designed to boost #American #semiconductormanufacturing. The funding will help pay for one factory in Utah and two in Texas — projects that will cost about $18 billion through 2029 — the Commerce Department said in a statement. The effort is expected to generate around 2,000 #manufacturing #jobs and thousands more in #construction. In total, #TexasInstruments plans to spend around $40 billion across both states, including an additional two factories in #Sherman, Texas. It’s likely that those will come online after 2030, and the Commerce Department has said it will prioritize projects that will be done by the end of the decade. Thanks again to Mackenzie Hawkins and Bloomberg for the full article with more background and insights via the link below 💡🙏👇 https://lnkd.in/eFiP2W4P #semiconductorindustry #semiconductors #semiconductor #technology #tech #it #chips #it #geopolitics #subsidies #usa #innovation #chip #ic

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Intel Corporation will now be spinning off it's Intel Foundry division into a wholly owned subsidiary and also consolidating all it's design operations into CCG (client computing group, or lpatop/PC division) and DCAI (datacenters and AI, the server group). Networking group NEX will remain for now, but it is too small now and I'm guessing it will be sold off. Qualcomm is already looking to acquire some of Intel's operations as per The Wall Street Journal; Qualcomm is most likely interested in the CCG piece. (https://lnkd.in/gYkgwxGq) Intel will likely break itself into three major pieces - Manufacturing/Foundry, CCG and DCAI will become separate companies. But let's talk about Intel Foundry : Intel consolidated all it's manufacturing and research into Intel Foundry which started reporting it's own P&L from Q1 of this year. But it wasn't a different legal entity which now Pat Gelsinger has announced will happen. But even then, without a much more massive US govt assistance, Intel can't pay to become competitive again. US govt is the only entity that can pay for, the R&D needed to catch to TSMC and match Samsung Semiconductor, pay for new fabs etc. However Intel's failure to get a customer (Broadcom most recently, and Qualcomm and NVIDIA long ago, dropped the 18A offering) created multiple problems - the US Commerce Department's conditons for funding were not being met. And since AMD never showed any interest, - any help to Intel Foundry, which has been a part of Intel (unlike help to TSMC and even Samsung Semiconductors - both of which have well established fab business and serve multiple customers), would be construe a help to wider Intel business which then competes with AMD, Qualcomm, Nvidia. The latest move to separate out the Foundry as a legal entity opens to path to solve multiple problems at month. In my speculation the following will happen before Q3'2025: (1) Intel Foundry will not only become a separate company (legal entity) as Pat Gelsinger has already announced, it will in fact drop the name "Intel" altogether and be names something like "American National Fab corporation" - National Semiconductor would have been a good name but it is already taken. (2) Intel (or whatever survives without Foundry) will have less than majority stake in the new entity. A consortium made of AMD, Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Texas Instruments, Analog Devices ... all the marquee names of US Semiconductor industry will also be "encouraged" by US Commerce department to aquire, between themselves, a majority stake. Even the likes of TSMC may be persuaded. (3) US Govt will subsequently open the floodgates of money to the foundry to make it a success. (4) The new owners will bring about management and technical ladder changes acutely needed. I hope this happens for the sake of the talented employees, the US and the world public.

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Good discussion with TIRIAS Research on the innovative features and applications for the new Lattice Nexus 2 FPGA platform!

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Comparing performance of different SoC platforms for DNNs (Deep Neural Networks) processing has been a massive stone in OEMs' shoes for years! The Autonomous Vehicle Computing Consortium, Inc. (AVCC) took notice and, through hard work and collaboration, the Benchmarks Work Group led by Kasper Mecklenburg is able to demonstrate the proof-of-concept of a representative automotive benchmark with MLCommons. It's a great foundation for the entire ecosystem to build upon! However... benchmarks are just a language. They facilitate communication among speakers. If OEMs don't take the lead and embrace these representative benchmarks, suppliers won't care to produce them. Then, OEMs will be left with INT8 TOPS as single number on a datasheet, again! First step, join the webinar below! #ai #automateddriving #benchmarking

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This is exactly what I often advise students for learning Embedded systems. If their focus is to grow with Embedded software and AI, leverage low cost hardware platforms. There is no harm in learning PCB design to understand schematic and basic components. It will not take much time. Actual time is required to understand programming languages, Microcontroller architecture, protocols , RTOS, Linux and ML. Thanks for sharing your experience Seema Joshi . #embedded #embedkari #opentowork

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Another productive meeting with the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) Board as we work to help companies navigate the significant opportunities and challenges facing the U.S. semiconductor industry. For those interested in learning more, the latest 2024 State of the Industry Report from the SIA underscores just how critical this moment is for our sector. The U.S. chip industry is at the heart of technological advancements, from AI and 5G to automotive electrification. However, the report clearly demonstrates that we must also address supply chain vulnerabilities, talent shortages and global competition. At ADI, we're committed to be part of the solution. We are all in on driving innovation that enriches lives and the world around us, as well as strengthens global leadership in semiconductor industry. https://lnkd.in/gUSBv2nz

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