Comments for Low-Power Engineering Community http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd Making Semiconductor Architectures More Efficient Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:57:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= Comment on Experts At The Table: IP by Kurt Wolf http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/blog/2012/03/16/experts-at-the-table-ip-2/comment-page-1/#comment-14115 Kurt Wolf Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:57:43 +0000 http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/?p=3915#comment-14115 It is helpful for the SOC team acquiring 3rd party off-the-shelf IP to think of the 80/20 rule. If the SoC team does adequate due diligence, they can find IP that is a best for for 80% of the specific SoC requirements. The last 20% is then an trade-off; Adjust the interface between SoC/IP to compensate or pay for customizing the IP. Specifically, hard IP (delivered as GDS-II) is not built to the specifications of any one SoC design - that's not possible. Successful integration many times depends on understanding the limitations of the IP so the SoC design team implements appropriate design constraints. Limitations should not be viewed in a negative light. In order to minimize chip-level yield/ramp issues up front, understanding limitations can be worth millions of dollars. It is helpful for the SOC team acquiring 3rd party off-the-shelf IP to think of the 80/20 rule. If the SoC team does adequate due diligence, they can find IP that is a best for for 80% of the specific SoC requirements. The last 20% is then an trade-off; Adjust the interface between SoC/IP to compensate or pay for customizing the IP.
Specifically, hard IP (delivered as GDS-II) is not built to the specifications of any one SoC design – that’s not possible.
Successful integration many times depends on understanding the limitations of the IP so the SoC design team implements appropriate design constraints. Limitations should not be viewed in a negative light. In order to minimize chip-level yield/ramp issues up front, understanding limitations can be worth millions of dollars.

]]> Comment on Power Bits: March 6 by Jay http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/blog/2012/03/06/power-bits-march-6/comment-page-1/#comment-13381 Jay Tue, 06 Mar 2012 21:51:30 +0000 http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/?p=3841#comment-13381 The volt is a coal powered vehicle in most areas of the country, so will have little impact on CO2 emissions. Most Americans are wiseing up to the global warming scam. The earth has warmed little in the past 10-15 years in contradiction to the alarmist UN models. (And no warming in the US in the past decade) The revelations of climategate have shown the global warming scare to be largely a political one, with very shaky science underneath. In the past 150 years we have climbed about 0.7 degrees, and a human cause is controversial. The basics of CO2 induced warming are understood, and about a degree per doubling of CO2 (the climate sensitivity. The alarmists postulate controversial positive feedbacks that would increase that warming with computer models. Besides, CO2 helps plants grow, and a bit more warmth is generally good for humanity. There is no trend to more or stronger storms (do some homework on this, NOAA will tell you as well as Professor Pielke Sr.) and sea level is showing NO sign of acceleration, in fact dropped the past year or so. Satellite global temperatures (not so easy for the alarmists to manipulate that data) show little warming in the past 30 years, and global sea ice is stable (north declining, south increasing). The volt is a coal powered vehicle in most areas of the country, so will have little impact on CO2 emissions.
Most Americans are wiseing up to the global warming scam.
The earth has warmed little in the past 10-15 years in contradiction to the alarmist UN models. (And no warming in the US in the past decade)
The revelations of climategate have shown the global warming scare to be largely a political one, with very shaky science underneath.
In the past 150 years we have climbed about 0.7 degrees, and a human cause is controversial. The basics of CO2 induced warming are understood, and about a degree per doubling of CO2 (the climate sensitivity. The alarmists postulate controversial positive feedbacks that would increase that warming with computer models.
Besides, CO2 helps plants grow, and a bit more warmth is generally good for humanity.
There is no trend to more or stronger storms (do some homework on this, NOAA will tell you as well as Professor Pielke Sr.) and sea level is showing NO sign of acceleration, in fact dropped the past year or so.
Satellite global temperatures (not so easy for the alarmists to manipulate that data) show little warming in the past 30 years, and global sea ice is stable (north declining, south increasing).

]]> Comment on Power Bits: March 6 by Joe Nardini http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/blog/2012/03/06/power-bits-march-6/comment-page-1/#comment-13376 Joe Nardini Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:18:14 +0000 http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/?p=3841#comment-13376 Public opinion polls are not a measure of the merit of the science. They are measure of the goverment's ability to brain wash the public. Pathetic that an engineering publication would indulge in the farce that man has had a significant affect on global temperature. Energy efficiency and lowering cost are good goals in and of themselves. We do not need to create other false justifications. Public opinion polls are not a measure of the merit of the science. They are measure of the goverment’s ability to brain wash the public. Pathetic that an engineering publication would indulge in the farce that man has had a significant affect on global temperature. Energy efficiency and lowering cost are good goals in and of themselves. We do not need to create other false justifications.

]]> Comment on Power Bits: March 6 by Zack63 http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/blog/2012/03/06/power-bits-march-6/comment-page-1/#comment-13375 Zack63 Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:48:06 +0000 http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/?p=3841#comment-13375 Odd, my reading lately is that man-made global warming has all but been debunked. Researchers creating phony results in order to get funding, email's discussing the coverup, etc. This has in turn brought great economic damage to many. Look at the ethanol scam. Government requiring ethanol and paying subsidies to corn farmers. Now we can pay more for corn, corn syrup (notice the move to cane sugar in sodas), and more for gas, which now gets less MPG. Now we hear Government Motors (GM) has built product that people won't buy, based on the global warming premise. . I looked up the price for the Volt, its $40K base, and $44K with navigation, etc. A Prius is $28K to $31K. Essentially you can pay $10k more for more or less the same car. Also, consider that the Prius is a stable platform while the Volt is not. So, I would add that there is more to this than people simply don't want to pay extra for less pollution. . Indeed the Prius started pricey as well, but during good economic times many purchased it as a status symbol. Economic times are not good and the Volt does not have the cache that the Prius did or does. The Volt is neither a high end status car nor an affordable car, its stuck in the middle with little identity. Odd, my reading lately is that man-made global warming has all but been debunked. Researchers creating phony results in order to get funding, email’s discussing the coverup, etc. This has in turn brought great economic damage to many. Look at the ethanol scam. Government requiring ethanol and paying subsidies to corn farmers. Now we can pay more for corn, corn syrup (notice the move to cane sugar in sodas), and more for gas, which now gets less MPG. Now we hear Government Motors (GM) has built product that people won’t buy, based on the global warming premise.
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I looked up the price for the Volt, its $40K base, and $44K with navigation, etc. A Prius is $28K to $31K. Essentially you can pay $10k more for more or less the same car. Also, consider that the Prius is a stable platform while the Volt is not. So, I would add that there is more to this than people simply don’t want to pay extra for less pollution.
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Indeed the Prius started pricey as well, but during good economic times many purchased it as a status symbol. Economic times are not good and the Volt does not have the cache that the Prius did or does. The Volt is neither a high end status car nor an affordable car, its stuck in the middle with little identity.

]]> Comment on Experts At The Table: Managing Power At Higher Levels Of Abstraction by Grant Martin http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/blog/2011/11/18/experts-at-the-table-managing-power-at-higher-levels-of-abstraction-3/comment-page-1/#comment-10881 Grant Martin Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:58:26 +0000 http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/?p=3548#comment-10881 Yes, Chipvision had an interesting system of just that type. I talked to them about it at the time, because we have an energy model (Xenergy) that can produce a stream of energy data for a Tensilica processor core, (the plug) that could be fed into a bookkeeping tool such as ChipVision's (the socket). I wished they had survived, because if they had been successful with their tools, it may have prompted the rest of the industry to move to a standard socket. OSCI has never picked up on this idea, but now that they have merged with Accellera, maybe there will be some such activity in the future. Yes, Chipvision had an interesting system of just that type. I talked to them about it at the time, because we have an energy model (Xenergy) that can produce a stream of energy data for a Tensilica processor core, (the plug) that could be fed into a bookkeeping tool such as ChipVision’s (the socket). I wished they had survived, because if they had been successful with their tools, it may have prompted the rest of the industry to move to a standard socket. OSCI has never picked up on this idea, but now that they have merged with Accellera, maybe there will be some such activity in the future.

]]> Comment on Comparing Smart Phones by Mike Bradley http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/blog/2011/12/15/comparing-smart-phones/comment-page-1/#comment-10873 Mike Bradley Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:27:12 +0000 http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/?p=3613#comment-10873 I feel as though the discussion just started... Is there a follow on? I feel as though the discussion just started… Is there a follow on?

]]> Comment on Why Batteries Don’t Last Long Enough by Sibyl http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/blog/2011/12/01/why-batteries-don%e2%80%99t-last-long-enough/comment-page-1/#comment-10105 Sibyl Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:26:10 +0000 http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/?p=3562#comment-10105 A lot of high verse explaining away the more likely reason batteries don't last; they don't last because manufacturers have designed a way to decrease their lifespan, thereby increasing consumption of new batteries. You see it in ALL batteries, such as automobile batteries, not only batteries for electronics. A lot of high verse explaining away the more likely reason batteries don’t last; they don’t last because manufacturers have designed a way to decrease their lifespan, thereby increasing consumption of new batteries. You see it in ALL batteries, such as automobile batteries, not only batteries for electronics.

]]> Comment on Cell Phone Radiation: Taboo Topic, Interesting Science by Pauline http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/blog/2011/12/01/cell-phone-radiation-taboo-topic-interesting-science/comment-page-1/#comment-10001 Pauline Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:29:26 +0000 http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/?p=3565#comment-10001 Excellent article. The precautionary principle employed by Building Biologists states that if in doubt, take precautions to minimise exposure. If your phone rings whilst driving (your car is also a conductive cage), stop, get out and answer your phone outside. Use the earphones and hands-free kit. Bluetooth devices emit the safe radio frequency waves as the phone, so they're not recommended (they're doing the same thing to your brain). All this and you get a break from driving and the opportunity to concentrate on your call. :-) Pauline Ferguson Building Biologist, Queensland, Australia Excellent article. The precautionary principle employed by Building Biologists states that if in doubt, take precautions to minimise exposure. If your phone rings whilst driving (your car is also a conductive cage), stop, get out and answer your phone outside. Use the earphones and hands-free kit. Bluetooth devices emit the safe radio frequency waves as the phone, so they’re not recommended (they’re doing the same thing to your brain).

All this and you get a break from driving and the opportunity to concentrate on your call. :-)

Pauline Ferguson
Building Biologist, Queensland, Australia

]]> Comment on Experts At The Table: Managing Power At Higher Levels Of Abstraction by Anon http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/blog/2011/11/18/experts-at-the-table-managing-power-at-higher-levels-of-abstraction-3/comment-page-1/#comment-9555 Anon Mon, 28 Nov 2011 10:50:24 +0000 http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/?p=3548#comment-9555 Chipvision had the exact high-level system bookkeeping tools that Grant Martin mentions. Unfortunately, that didn't help them stay in business ;( Chipvision had the exact high-level system bookkeeping tools that Grant Martin mentions. Unfortunately, that didn’t help them stay in business ;(

]]> Comment on Experts At The Table: Managing Power At Higher Levels Of Abstraction by Richard Gordon http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/blog/2011/11/11/experts-at-the-table-managing-power-at-higher-levels-of-abstraction-2/comment-page-1/#comment-8355 Richard Gordon Sat, 12 Nov 2011 02:45:09 +0000 http://chipdesignmag.com/lpd/?p=3538#comment-8355 Power closure is and has been the problem to solve for many years, now. Power optimization naturally incorporates timing and area optimization, so it subsumes timing closure. Computer hardware and software limitations have driven designers and EDA tools to optimize power at higher levels of abstraction. For the time being, voltage islands, power-off protocols, and gate-level optimizations have first-order salutary effects on power reduction. However, power is an equal opportunity problem. It affects chip design at all levels of abstraction. More watts have been saved from semiconductor materials and process innovations that have led to today’s reduced supply voltages than any other method. This low-hanging “fruit” has been picked, but there are many more to be had, such as replacing metal clock lines and repeaters with light guides or devising transistors with lower leakage currents. At the theoretical limit, computing requires de minimis power, as discovered by Charles Bennett and Rolf Landauer of IBM in the 1960s. Of course, there is always the readout, which will always consume power as computing results converted to human-usable form. But until such a time as we learn how to get circuits to compute with practically zero power, look for power savings in every nook and cranny, not just the attic of design. Power closure is and has been the problem to solve for many years, now. Power optimization naturally incorporates timing and area optimization, so it subsumes timing closure. Computer hardware and software limitations have driven designers and EDA tools to optimize power at higher levels of abstraction. For the time being, voltage islands, power-off protocols, and gate-level optimizations have first-order salutary effects on power reduction. However, power is an equal opportunity problem. It affects chip design at all levels of abstraction. More watts have been saved from semiconductor materials and process innovations that have led to today’s reduced supply voltages than any other method. This low-hanging “fruit” has been picked, but there are many more to be had, such as replacing metal clock lines and repeaters with light guides or devising transistors with lower leakage currents. At the theoretical limit, computing requires de minimis power, as discovered by Charles Bennett and Rolf Landauer of IBM in the 1960s. Of course, there is always the readout, which will always consume power as computing results converted to human-usable form. But until such a time as we learn how to get circuits to compute with practically zero power, look for power savings in every nook and cranny, not just the attic of design.

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