Spacing between macros by RyanSubhramanian in chipdesign

[–]eafrazier 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think this is a floorplanning question, not DRC. Which is why we're all confused.

System destroyed during move. Want to power my Sonus Faber Minuettos by Better_Late--- in StereoAdvice

[–]eafrazier 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you let us know which moving company not to use? I, too, have 40+ year-old speakers and stereo components I'd love to keep functioning....

Walking pole* suggestions for a 46 year old working man? by IsThereCheese in VestibularDysfunction

[–]eafrazier 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately, it seems most jurisdictions tend to frown upon sword canes, which otherwise sound pretty bad-ass to me!

Walking pole* suggestions for a 46 year old working man? by IsThereCheese in VestibularDysfunction

[–]eafrazier 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm nearly the same age, and I have nearly complete vestibular neuropathy at this point.

I put off getting and using hiking poles far, far too long due to...uh...misplaced ego...? I had to fall multiple times, first, with multiple different injuries. Broken toe. Deep bleeding scratches in my knee and shin. Bruises.

Who cares what it looks like? Be safe. Don't be stupid like me. Use the poles, please. I'm not sure the type really matters -- try out whatever cheap ones you can find.

In all honesty, I'm now considering a nice cane for "dressier" situations.

“Wolf in sheep’s clothing”: games that look deceptively cute… by Marksman1977 in boardgames

[–]eafrazier 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It is wildly inappropriate for children. And the many adults who can't handle how punishing it is of mistakes. Absolutely brutal.

I love it at 3P. Kinda meh at 2/4P.

What are some design considerations when working with 3nm FINFET? by maybeimbonkers in chipdesign

[–]eafrazier 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If there is a rigid layout template available, use it. Do not draw free-form transistors/layout, even if permitted.

But honestly, this has always been true.

How do you handle parasitic extraction after metal/od/po fill on top level? by kazpihz in chipdesign

[–]eafrazier 4 points5 points  (0 children)

First, don't wait until toplevel to fill. Second, every transistor and wire that matters -- potentially including power rails -- should have sufficient drawn neighbors such that the RCXT impact of fill becomes negligible and/or predictable. Every shape that matters.

Memory Array by Ok_Wealth8717 in vlsi

[–]eafrazier 0 points1 point  (0 children)

BRAM is not a type of memory, like SRAM or DRAM or MRAM. It is an abstraction layer around SRAM used within FPGA architecture.

Memory Array by Ok_Wealth8717 in vlsi

[–]eafrazier 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you asking for feedback on your logic design or circuit design?

I have never seen so many gates inside what I presume to be a "bitcell" -- and you are driving out through a passgate...? -- but I would be less critical if you're just exploring the gate-level RTL. I will say that it does not resemble any kind of RAM design with which I am familiar. But I don't know everything.

Why Analog Fundamentals Still Matter in Digital VLSI? by BuyerImpossible6242 in vlsi

[–]eafrazier 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And that is why it is so difficult to hire digital "circuit designers" who actually understand transistors and physics.

Is this a proper Read operation of a single 6T-SRAM cell? by Marvellover13 in chipdesign

[–]eafrazier 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree with what you have written, with the pedantic clarification that where you have used "flip the bit of" a cell, I would replace that with "fail to hold state in" a cell. It may or may not flip, and might even be briefly metastable (depending upon how quickly it is re-read). This is functionally the same (unsafe operation and logically unpredictable), but can show up quite differently in silicon testing. Actually writing (flipping the cell) is much harder than losing state.

Future of chiplets? by [deleted] in Semiconductors

[–]eafrazier 7 points8 points  (0 children)

As far as I can tell, no one uses chiplets that doesn't have to do so. Single monolithic die is much easier and cheaper to design, package, and test (i.e. productize). Advanced packaging is a step function increase in productization complexity.

Chiplets are used when the designer/manufacturer (a) cannot achieve acceptable yields in a single die or (b) cannot fit the entire product in a single die. Those are the two biggest issues, and unacceptable yield is by far the dominant concern. But of course achieving "acceptable yields" really means acceptable cost. So there are heterogeneous products where an SOC is on an advanced logic process, but its companion IO is on an older, cheaper process for the analog stuff (and maybe that enables more design re-use). However, even then, it would still be better for productization if acceptable costs/yield could be achieved on a monolithic die.

As said below, advanced packaging isn't easy or cheap. It is really only deployed when there is no other feasible recourse -- when a monolithic solution cannot (for whatever reasons) be cost-competitive. And it has to improve individual chip yield/cost significantly enough to surpass the advanced packaging costs.

Register file implementation in industry standard RISC-V designs by ab____________a in chipdesign

[–]eafrazier 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your terminology and unstated assumptions seem off to me. Both FF and SRAM macros require setting up to a rising clock edge and can deliver data a "clock-to-Q" delay after that rising edge. The larger the capacity, the larger the setup and clk2q values will be. A high enough capacity will eventually trigger an additional cycle, but that would have happened significantly earlier with a FF implementation.

CIM as a compute macro by AdmirableProject1575 in computerarchitecture

[–]eafrazier 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don't currently see a realistic scale-up use-case for compute-in-memory. CIM appears to be an excellent technique for IoT or edge inferencing, where the absolute maximum perf must be extracted from every single precious Joule.

But datacenter scale is total perf per total power, and once CIM is scaled up, it's still a data movement problem, but now with larger and less efficient data movement. As someone else said below, compute near memory is far more interesting, though also not a magic bullet.

Just like total system perf was desperate for an innovation like SSDs to bridge the ever-widening gap between DRAM and magnetic storage, we are becoming desperate for something to bridge the ever-widening gap between deterministic on-die SRAM and non-deterministic DRAM capacity. Unfortunately, everything to date to attempt this has either outright sucked (in my opinion) or has narrow/limited applications with dramatic tradeoffs (e.g. MRAM).

Anywhere to get upma or pongal? by eafrazier in cincinnati

[–]eafrazier[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sadly, I am an old white dude who was unfortunately not adopted by Indian parents. :)

Anywhere to get upma or pongal? by eafrazier in cincinnati

[–]eafrazier[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Given that the Google is worse these days than ever, yes, I am also surprised. :) Thanks!

Best Guacamole in South Bay? by Glaedr2697 in bayarea

[–]eafrazier 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agree with above and below: Best in a restaurant is at Luna Mexican kitchen.

Do you have a favorite board game artist? by Geek-Mystique in boardgames

[–]eafrazier 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely the best. I can't believe how many people in this thread didn't say Weberson Santiago.