Technology Trends in theChip Designing Industry
Jayashankar Narayankutty, Group Director, Cadence Design Systems
Over the past 15 years, India’s semiconductor industry has experienced remarkable growth, owing to a skilled and talented workforce, coupled with government support for innovation and entrepreneurship within the semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. Key initiatives, such as the establishment of the India Semiconductor Mission, and the Design- and Product-Linked Initiatives, have played important roles in fostering growth in the local semiconductor ecosystem.
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There is a lot of news nowadays about India’s efforts to establish itself as a prominent global player in semiconductor manufacturing; the PLI schemes have been designed to reduce this resistance and offset the cost in ‘lifting and shifting’ manufacturing processes to India. In addition to this there is a true opportunity in capitalizing on the nation’s deep expertise in chip design.
As the nation diligently strives to carve a niche for itself in this field, several top technology trends are anticipated to significantly impact the semiconductor and electronics ecosystem worldwide. Some of these trends are so new that they don’t have established leaders, allowing India an opportunity to enter early and establish ourselves as a contributor.
3D-IC
The semiconductor industry is undergoing a significant transformation as emerging technologies demand high-performance computing with low latency, larger chips, and shorter product cycles. To address these challenges, the industry is increasingly focused on finding the right balance between density, integration, and functionality. It is now an established fact the moving to latest (smaller) nodes, while providing technological advantages, increased the cost so much that such movement becomes prohibitive for the entire chip or system. It is prudent that the parts of the product that benefit the most from such movement move, and the rest remain in earlier nodes. Hence, semiconductor technology is now moving towards heterogeneous integration, employing chiplets and 3D-IC architecture to achieve flexibility and optimized performance.
While 3D-IC technology has been under development for several years, it is now gaining substantial momentum as a prominent trend in chip designing. Various factors are driving this trend, including the growing demand for cost effective high-performance computing in industries like gaming, machine learning, and data centers, with aggressive time to market targets. Chip designers are compelled to explore new avenues for enhancing the speed and efficiency of their products, and 3D IC technology offers a promising solution. By stacking more components on top of each other, 3D IC technology enables higher performance and quicker turn around in a cost effective manner.
The proliferation of designs employing 3D-IC techniques in India has the potential to foster innovation, competition, and progress within the semiconductor sector. This technology can attract foreign investments, facilitate collaborations, and contribute to the overall growth of the Indian semiconductor ecosystem. Moreover, the realm of 3D-IC chiplets might presents significant opportunities for establishing a market for commercial third-party chiplets, enabling India to develop expertise and emerge as a major player in the global semiconductor industry.
Role of AI in chip design
In the era of increased digital content, the demand for advanced semiconductor chips is surging at an unprecedented rate. Modern computing systems necessitate swift data processing and complex calculations to cater to devices like smartphones, wearables, and autonomous vehicles.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming chip design by offering unprecedented capabilities and efficiency. AI-powered tools, such as machine learning algorithms like graph neural networks (GNNs) and reinforcement learning (RL), can optimize chip designs by analysing massive amounts of data and simulating different design configurations. This enables AI to quickly identify optimal designs for power, performance, and area trade-offs, leading to more efficient and cost-effective chip designs. Additionally, AI accelerates the design iteration process, allowing designers to explore various options and solutions faster, resulting in shorter development cycles and faster time-to-market for new products.
AI can also improve energy efficiency in chip design. By analysing and optimizing chip architectures, AI can identify design improvements that reduce power consumption without sacrificing performance. This is particularly important as the demand for energy-efficient electronics increases across various industries.
Additionally, AI acts as a force multiplier by augmenting the capabilities of chip designers, bridging the talent gap in the semiconductor industry. With AI tools, designers can accomplish more with the same amount of resources, enhancing innovation and productivity.
Multiphysics Analysis
One of the key trends in the field of electronic system design is the increasing need for engineers to perform cross-fabric and multiphysics analysis. This is due to the growing complexity and density of high-performance and/or missing critical electronic systems, which require designers to consider a variety of factors such as electromagnetic interference (EMI)/ electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), power integrity (PI), signal integrity (SI), and thermal integrity. In order to meet aggressive delivery schedules and accelerate the design process, engineers need to be able to perform simulations that consider multiple physical phenomena simultaneously.
For example, a designer may need to analyse the thermal behaviour of a component while also considering its electromagnetic emissions and susceptibility to interference. To perform cross-fabric and multiphysics analysis, designers can leverage advanced simulation tools that are capable of integrating different physics models and solving multiple sets of equations simultaneously. This can assist in identifying potential issues early in the design process, allowing engineers to make informed design decisions and reduce the need for costly physical prototyping.
As new applications emerge, designers working on the next generation of electronics products, will need to adapt to the trends and opportunities above. They will have to create more efficient and specialized designs, chips, and systems to meet the requirements of diverse industries like automotive, healthcare, IoT, and more.
Looking ahead, we expect that the semiconductor industry will continue to evolve rapidly, driven by technological advancements and the demand for more powerful, energy-efficient, and specialized chips. Chip designers will remain at the forefront of innovation, collaborating with other industry stakeholders to push the boundaries of what is possible in terms of performance, power consumption, and functionality.