Episode 80: Viewing AI Compute Demands as a Tectonic Shift for Semiconductor Design

The Circuit · 20 Aug 2024 · 33m · Episode 81

What this episode covers

Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg discuss the 'tectonic shift' in semiconductor design driven by AI's demand for energy-efficient compute, highlighting Applied Materials' focus on packaging and Intel's strategic investments. They analyze Intel's release of its PDK and its 18A process roadmap, arguing that a viable competitor to TSMC is essential for industry health. The episode concludes with the successful high NA EUV tape-out by Imec, marking a critical breakthrough for future lithography.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 09m

    Bonkers Birthday Badinage

    Hosts Dave Jones and Chris Gammell celebrate the 100th episode of The Amp Hour, discussing the show's growth to 5,000 listeners and the launch of a new discussion server based on the Hacker News engine. They analyze the semiconductor industry, noting TSMC's $8-10 billion investment in a 450mm wafer fab and Intel's dismissal of ARM as a competitor. The episode also covers practical engineering topics, including the use of gallium nitride (GaN) FETs, the TI LM5113 driver, and the feasibility of sourcing cheap Chinese electronics components for product design.

  • EE Times Current · 42m

    The CHIP Act’s Blind Spot | A Lifeline for Intel | I Just Saw a Face

    Adam Khan, founder of Akhan Semiconductor, and Vice Admiral Charles Moore discuss the need for U.S. legislation to support wide-bandgap semiconductors like diamond, gallium nitride, and silicon carbide, arguing that focusing on these materials allows the U.S. to leverage existing 200mm fabs rather than chasing expensive EUV lithography. The episode also analyzes Intel CEO Bob Swan's ambiguous statements regarding process technology, with journalist Balaji Rao arguing that Intel should pivot to a full-time foundry model to maintain technological sovereignty and compete with TSMC, rather than outsourcing to Taiwan.

  • EE Times Current · 41m

    Interview: AMD CTO Papermaster | Interview: Imagination CEO Black | Where to Invest in 2020

    AMD CTO Mark Papermaster discusses the company's transition to 7nm Zen architecture, chiplet-based designs like the Threadripper 3990X, and the integration of specialized accelerators for AI workloads. Imagination Technologies CEO Ron Black explains the company's strategic pivot toward automotive graphics, ray tracing, and RISC-V cores, highlighting the resumption of its partnership with Apple. EE Times editors analyze 2020 investment trends, emphasizing that data generation from apps is driving semiconductor growth, with specific focus on memory, RF front-ends, and power infrastructure in developing economies.

  • EE Times Current · 15m

    IMEC & the End of the Road(map) | EDS and the Trade War | Restoring Notre Dame

    Rick Merritt reports from IMEC's Future Summits in Antwerp, detailing a semiconductor roadmap that may halt at 2 nanometers due to shrinking gate lengths and metal pitches, while TSMC, Samsung, and Intel compete with unique packaging and transistor techniques. Barb Jorgensen covers the Electronic Distribution Show (EDS) in Las Vegas, highlighting industry skittishness over US-China trade war tariffs and their impact on component costs and supply chain delays. Brian Santow and graphics experts Jon Peddie and Kathleen Maher discuss using advanced imaging, laser scanning, and CAD tools to restore Notre Dame, debating whether to replicate the original design or reimagine it with modern materials like steel and titanium.

  • EE Times Current · 34m

    Whither Semiconductors? The Wheels on the Bus Go ‘Round and ‘Round

    Jim McGregor, co-founder of Tirias Research, discusses the evolving competitive landscape of the semiconductor industry, identifying Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA (following its potential acquisition of Arm) as the new dominant trio. He explains how the convergence of computing, connectivity, and intelligence is blurring traditional boundaries, with companies like Qualcomm, Samsung, and MediaTek competing across smartphones, servers, and automotive sectors. McGregor highlights the shift toward heterogeneous computing, specialized accelerators like DPUs, and the move away from monolithic dies toward multi-chip modules and advanced packaging to overcome Moore's Law limitations.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by The Circuit. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.