➀ A new UK semiconductor design centre is expected to emerge from a joint venture between the Welsh Government, the Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult, and Cadence Design Systems.

➁ The design centre, funded by £2.5m from the Welsh Government and supported by Cadence and CSA Catapult, is set to create over 100 jobs for graduate students in the next five years.

➂ Based in Centre 7 in Cardiff Gate, it will be a Cadence Design Centre operated by CSA Catapult, and will collaborate with universities, start-ups, and small businesses on projects.

➀ Jayashankar Narayanankutty, Cadence Design Systems的销售总监，讨论了公司与印度政府合作的计划如何推动其业务增长，特别是在初创公司领域。

➁ Cadence通过灵活的商业模式为不同阶段的初创企业提供支持，包括提供免费或延迟支付的EDA工具，以帮助解决资金和技术挑战。

➂ Cadence正在投资于AI驱动的设计工具和3D集成电路技术，这可能成为印度在半导体行业取得领先地位的机会。

➀ Softbank has announced the planned acquisition of Ampere Computing for $6.5 billion in cash;

➁ Ampere Computing will retain its name and product lines such as AmpereOne and Ampere Altra;

➂ The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2025, with major investors selling their stakes.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS has developed an AI chip for processing Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs). The SENNA spiking neural network inference accelerator, inspired by brain function, consists of artificial neurons and can process electrical impulses (spikes) directly. Its speed, energy efficiency, and compact design enable the use of SNNs directly where data is generated: in edge devices.

SNNs consist of a network of artificial neurons connected by synapses. Information is transmitted and processed in the form of electrical impulses, allowing pulsing networks to be the next step in artificial intelligence: faster, more energy-efficient, and closer to the processing method of the human brain. To bring these advantages into application, small, efficient hardware that mimics a structure of neurons and synapses is needed. For this, the Fraunhofer IIS has developed the neuromorphic SNN accelerator SENNA as part of the Fraunhofer project SEC-Learn.

SENNA is a neuromorphic chip for fast processing of low-dimensional time series data in AI applications. The current version consists of 1024 artificial neurons on less than 11 mm² of chip area. Its low reaction time down to 20 nanoseconds ensures precise timing in time-critical applications at the edge. This makes it particularly strong in real-time event-based sensor data processing and in closed control systems, such as the control of small electric motors with AI. With SENNA, AI-optimized data transmission can be realized in communication systems. There, the AI processor can analyze signal streams and adjust transmission and reception methods as needed to improve efficiency and performance.

➀ PDK (Process Design Kit) serves as a bridge between chip design and manufacturing, with the following important roles:

➁ In terms of design, it provides design rules and supports the design process.

➂ In terms of manufacturing, it conveys process information and ensures process compatibility.

➀ The reason for the factoryization of chip design companies includes the completion of technical accumulation.

➁ The oversupply of R&D talent accelerates the factoryization process.

➂ Adequate upstream resources drive the factoryization of chip design companies.

➃ The competition in the chip market is shifting from technology to efficiency and cost.

➄ The choice of upstream supply chain resources is crucial for the success of chip design companies.

➅ Innovation in products, technology, and markets is crucial for breaking through the current situation.

➀ Google's DeepMind has published a research paper refuting criticisms of its AI chip design system, AlphaChip;

➁ The system, initially announced in 2020, has been used to design Google's Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) and has saved thousands of hours of human labor;

➂ Critics have质疑 the system's effectiveness, with one paper claiming it could not be replicated and another calling it 'false dawn';

➃ Google responded to the criticisms, highlighting the limitations of the critics' methods and defending the openness and transparency of AlphaChip.