The following abstract and quotes are taken from the New Electronics interview with EnSilica discussing the latest advances in design platforms and the challenges designers face in selecting the best one for any given design. The interview was first published on 14th March 2017 

Moore’s Law has brought a range of advanced platforms. But which one should you use?

Courtesy of Moore’s Law, most devices today can be considered as ‘advanced’. And while that certainly brings benefits, it also poses new challenges for the electronics designer; which advanced platform is going to be best for the job at hand?

new-electronics-logoEnSilica is a leading fabless design house focused on turnkey chip and systems design, with expertise in digital and analogue mixed signal designs. How does it approach selecting the right technology for the design?

  • What has changed is the widespread availability of high performance IP. David Doyle, Commercial Director, noted: “There is much more IP available today than 10 years ago. And there’s more analogue IP, although that’s process dependent.” Doyle also pointed to more connectivity IP, including Ethernet and USB blocks.
  • One issue with IP is quality; designers often lack confidence that an IP block will do ‘what it says on the tin’. “Verification is a large part of the cost of designing a chip,” Wheeler continued. “The more well verified IP you can use, the better. It’s the same with software; you can use standard libraries. You don’t want to reinvent the wheel.”
  • “It wasn’t that long ago that you would have been required to pay royalties, as well as a licensing fee. Today, you would be upset if you had to pay royalties.  Attractive licensing models have helped the IP business to take off.”
  • “Packaging is a significant part of our overall discussion and has a huge bearing on final price.”

Read the Full Interview at New Electronics