Extremely Low Latency FPGAs and SmartNICs: How Achronix is Supercharging Networking Innovation

FPGAs take center stage in this week’s Fish Fry podcast! But not just any field programmable gate arrays – I’m talking about the Speedster7t FPGAs! My guests Scott Schweitzer and Ron Renwick from Achronix and I chat about why Achronix’s FPGAs are particularly well suited for networking and SmartNIC tasks, the advantages of Achronix’s accelerated network infrastructure code and the details of their new FPGA-Powered … Read More → "Extremely Low Latency FPGAs and SmartNICs: How Achronix is Supercharging Networking Innovation"

9.6Gbps HBM3 Memory Controller IP Boosts SoC AI Performance

It’s not often you get to say things like “exponential increase in insatiable demand,” so I’m going to make the most of it by taking a deep breath, pausing for effect, and waiting for the audience’s antici…

…pation to mount. As I’ve mentioned in previous columns (although possibly using different words), we are currently seeing an … Read More → "9.6Gbps HBM3 Memory Controller IP Boosts SoC AI Performance"

New MCUs Provide 10^2 the Performance at 10^-2 the Power

As I’ve mentioned on occasion, I predate many of the technologies that now surround us. I remember the heady days of the first 8-bit microprocessor units (MPUs) and early single board computers (SBCs) that were based on these little rascals. Glancing at the bookshelves in my office, I see my trusty companions of yesteryear in the form of 6502, Z80, etc. data books.

Read More → "New MCUs Provide 10^2 the Performance at 10^-2 the Power"

Arrow reveals first Dev Board for Intel Agilex 5 FPGAs, with two more boards planned

Arrow has just launched a development board for Intel’s soon-to-be-produced Agilex 5 SoC FPGAs, and two more such boards wait in the wings. The Arrow AXE5-Eagle board sports one Intel Agilex 5 E-series SoC FPGA. Initially, these development boards will incorporate an engineering sample of the SoC FPGA with 656K logic elements (LEs), while production boards, available by the end of the first half of 2024, will incorporate … Read More → "Arrow reveals first Dev Board for Intel Agilex 5 FPGAs, with two more boards planned"

High Speed Communications, Optical Interfaces and the Future of Embedded Systems

This week’s podcast is all about high speed communication, optical interfaces for military and aerospace designs and 3D printing in space! My guest Patrick Mechin (Techway) and I discuss the trends in high speed communications, the benefits of optical interfaces for modern embedded systems, and how Techway is supporting innovation in this arena. Also this week, I check out how 3D-printed titanium dioxide foam could help us in … Read More → "High Speed Communications, Optical Interfaces and the Future of Embedded Systems"

National Instruments to Apple Mac: Buh-Bye

National Instruments (NI) recently released a new version of its LabView test automation programming environment for the latest Apple Macintosh computers based on the Arm-based Apple M1 CPU/GPU SoC. At the same time, NI let its customers know that this release would be the last one for Apple Macintosh computers, sending a shock through some portion of the company’s customer base. Here’s the text … Read More → "National Instruments to Apple Mac: Buh-Bye"

December 1, 2023
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November 20, 2023

featured chalk talk

LEMBAS LTE/GNSS USB Modem from TE Connectivity
In today’s growing IoT design community, there is an increasing need for a smart connectivity system that helps both makers and enterprises get to market quickly. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton chats with Jin Kim from TE Connectivity about TE’s LEMBAS LTE/GNSS USB Modem and how this plug-and-play solution can help jumpstart your next IoT design. They also explore the software, hardware, and data plan details of this solution and the design-in questions you should keep in mind when considering using the LEMBAS LTE/GNSS USB modem in your design.
Apr 20, 2023
26,843 views

featured paper

Power and Performance Analysis of FIR Filters and FFTs on Intel Agilex® 7 FPGAs

Sponsored by Intel

Learn about the Future of Intel Programmable Solutions Group at intel.com/leap. The power and performance efficiency of digital signal processing (DSP) workloads play a significant role in the evolution of modern-day technology. Compare benchmarks of finite impulse response (FIR) filters and fast Fourier transform (FFT) designs on Intel Agilex® 7 FPGAs to publicly available results from AMD’s Versal* FPGAs and artificial intelligence engines.

Read more

featured video

TDK CLT32 power inductors for ADAS and AD power management

Sponsored by TDK

Review the top 3 FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) regarding TDK’s CLT32 power inductors. Learn why these tiny power inductors address the most demanding reliability challenges of ADAS and AD power management.

Click here for more information

discussion
Posted on Nov 30 at 8:57am by Karl Stevens
Since day one, memory access time has been critical. (because data is accessed randomly) DDR data rate is only one factor since it reduces the impact on access time for cache misses. So this just seems like "Gee, what a big number!" (in a squeaky voice, of course!) Has anyone ...
Posted on Nov 9 at 10:19am by Max Maxfield
Well -- they do work, but not well LOL
Posted on Nov 8 at 9:04pm by kimhailey
Server farms do not work with intermittent power sources.
Posted on Nov 6 at 10:34am by Max Maxfield
You pose a good question -- I can't believe I forgot to ask -- I just emailed Andreas and asked -- Max
Posted on Nov 4 at 6:58am by DaveN
Max! You haven't told us how much it will cost! Can I also retreat to the basement and build something, or will I need to mortgage the house?
Posted on Nov 3 at 10:51am by Max Maxfield
I didn't get to talk about it here -- but Macronix do have in-memory compute capability -- also a lot of folks are working on Computational SSD or Near Data Processing (NDP) where a lot of processing actually takes place in the drive. One day we will have a memory ...
Posted on Nov 2 at 2:37pm by Max Maxfield
You make a good point. With exascale computers currently coming online, each requiring its own 20MW power station, I can't imagine where we will be or what we will be doing in 10 years time (but it will be interesting to see).
Posted on Nov 2 at 8:54am by Ron Cline
Max - as someone who began the journey at 5 micron lithography (or, for those over at Fairchild, 0.2 mils), and closed out his career with FinFETs, I will suggest the key silicon production factor in the medium term is energy per operation, which is flattening out. Retrofitting existing power-limited server facilities ...
Posted on Oct 30 at 9:19am by Steven Leibson
Thank you for the correction, Jim McAvoy. I've confirmed that Hughes did indeed make transistors and found a photo of two Hughes transistors embedded in the Lucite handle of a commemorative letter opener at https://www.chipsetc.com/hughes.html. I've corrected Parts 3 and 7 of this series to reflect Hughes ...
Posted on Oct 29 at 1:33pm by jim.mcavoy
Thank you for this article. I wish A&T would make these documents publicly available. Hughes did make transistors, in a unique axial design, starting with the HA5001-HA5003 types in 1955. They continued making transistors at least into the 1960s.
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featured blogs
Dec 1, 2023
Why is Design for Testability (DFT) crucial for VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) design? Keeping testability in mind when developing a chip makes it simpler to find structural flaws in the chip and make necessary design corrections before the product is shipped to users. T...
Nov 27, 2023
See how we're harnessing generative AI throughout our suite of EDA tools with Synopsys.AI Copilot, the world's first GenAI capability for chip design.The post Meet Synopsys.ai Copilot, Industry's First GenAI Capability for Chip Design appeared first on Chip Design....
Nov 6, 2023
Suffice it to say that everyone and everything in these images was shot in-camera underwater, and that the results truly are haunting....
Power Gridlock
The power grid is struggling to meet the growing demands of our electrifying world. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Jake Michels from YAGEO Group discuss the challenges affecting our power grids today, the solutions to help solve these issues and why passive components will be the heroes of grid modernization.
Nov 28, 2023
462 views
Achieving Reliable Wireless IoT
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and CEL
Wireless connectivity is one of the most important aspects of any IoT design. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Brandon Oakes from CEL discuss the best practices for achieving reliable wireless connectivity for IoT. They examine the challenges of IoT wireless connectivity, the factors engineers should keep in mind when choosing a wireless solution, and how you can utilize CEL wireless connectivity technologies in your next design.
Nov 28, 2023
441 views
Neutrik powerCON®: Twist and Latch Locking AC Power Connectors
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Neutrik
If your next design demands frequent connector mating and unmating and use in countries throughout the world, a twist and latch locking AC power connector would be a great addition to your system design. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Fred Morgenstern from Neutrik explore the benefits of Neutrik's powerCON® AC power connectors, the electrical and environmental specifications included in this connector family, and why these connectors are a great fit for a variety of AV and industrial applications. 
Nov 27, 2023
588 views
Shift Left with Calibre
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and David Abercrombie from Siemens investigate the details of Calibre’s shift-left strategy. They take a closer look at how the tools and techniques in this design tool suite can help reduce signoff iterations and time to tapeout while also increasing design quality.
Nov 27, 2023
639 views
Addressing the Challenges of Low-Latency, High-Performance Wi-Fi
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton, Andrew Hart from Infineon, and Andy Ross from Laird Connectivity examine the benefits of Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, why IIoT designs are perfectly suited for Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, and how Wi-Fi 6 and 6E will bring Wi-Fi connectivity to a broad range of new applications.
Nov 17, 2023
1,813 views
Medical Grade Power
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and RECOM
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Louis Bouche from RECOM explore the various design requirements for medical grade power supplies. They also examine the role that isolation and leakage current play in this arena and the solutions that RECOM offers in terms of medical grade power supplies.
Nov 9, 2023
2,724 views