It must be time to solve those pesky I/O issues no one got around to fixing last year. Mentor Graphics introduced a hardware-assisted solution for USB 2.0 verification called iSolve, which works with a variety of emulators. Cut the wait time wherever you can.

And Synopsys uncorked a couple new products for USB 3.0. One is a DesignWare protocol analyzer for verifying USB 3.0-based designs. It also introduced USB 3.0 models for TLM 2.0.

Virage Logic set up an R&D center of excellence in the Netherlands. This builds on the rather complex deal Virage inked with NXP last year. Note the analog business unit, which plays heavily into Virage’s ARC acquisition.

GlobalFoundries completed its acquisition of Chartered Semiconductor. It now owns two 300mm fabs and is building a third in New York State. The bottom line: It’s now down to the Common Platform (GlobalFoundries included) vs. TSMC at advanced nodes in the merchant foundry business. Watch out for falling shrapnel.

Speaking of TSMC, the foundry is developing its 28nm process technology with Qualcomm. Most process folks think 28nm is an evolution, but 20nm starts getting really tricky. This may be a good time to start reading up on FinFETs, air gap insulation, self-assembling components and new substrate materials like graphene. They’ll be filed in the science fiction section.

Intel seems to be doing okay these days. Its fourth-quarter income jumped 875%. No, that is not a typo. Revenue was up 28% year over year. And while the computer market pull-through isn’t what it used to be for electronics companies, it certainly can’t hurt.

Tags: ARC, Chartered Semiconductor, GlobalFoundries, Intel, Mentor Graphics, NXP, Qualcomm, Synopsys, TSMC, Virage Logic

This entry was posted on Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 7:44 am and is filed under News Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.