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How many ASIC service providers are typically included in a shortlist when launching a project?
We’d argue that too few.
There are over 2000 ASIC service providers worldwide that provide a range of services – ASIC design, verification, validation, packaging, testing, or supply chain solutions, which combine multiple services.
Semiconductor foundries claim they release a new technology node every two years. They may be off by a year or two, but on the whole, this is quite impressive, no doubt. Come to think of it, I don’t believe many of us even change our mobile phone every two years. How
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With the increased complexity of SoC designs, high tapeout prices and shrinking time-to-market, ASIC Prototyping has become a key step in ASIC projects. FPGA development boards are being used more often to verify ASIC design, test hardware and software integration, and provide a proof of concept demonstration to potential customers
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Two years ago TSMC announced its plans to expand into IC packaging services. It is unclear how much these plans succeeded up till now, but it definitely seems that TSMC is now in an excellent position to take a big bite into the advanced IC packaging market, enter into direct competition
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Burn in Board is a printed circuit board which functions as a jig in the Burn-in process. The Burn-in Board is used as part of the ASIC reliability testing process during which components are stressed to detect failures. Burn in Boards consist of sockets to accommodate the tested ASICs and
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The following infographics shows Synopsys’s mergers and acquisitions along the years from its very beginning. Synopsys was founded in 1986 by David Gregory, Aart de Geus and has been involved with many mergers and acquisitions.
The very recent large acquisitions include:
2008
Synplicity
ChipIT
2009
ChipIdea
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What is a die per wafer calculator?
A die per wafer calculator is a tool used by chip designers and fabs to estimate how many individual dies (aka chips) can be cut from a single semiconductor wafer.
It’s like trying to fit as many square stickers as possible on
The following infographics shows Cadence’s mergers and acquisitions along the years from its very beginning.
Cadence Design Systems was founded in 1988 by the merger of SDA Systems and ECAD and has been involved with 100 mergers and acquisitions. The very recent and large acquisitions are:
Year 2013
Tensilica
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Process Lots (or corner lots) are special-modified-wafers that help verifying chip design robustness to accommodate process variations that statistically occur in wafer production over the years.
One of the products that semiconductor foundries offer is process lots (also called: corner lots, split lots or skewed lots). Corner lots wafers are
I have the utmost respect for TSMC. For their advanced technology; for the quality of their products; for their ecosystem; and for their contribution to the industry. In fact, TSMC has become so big – that it will take a while until the second ranked foundry can catch up.
The