Author: Techtime

SNUG Israel 2024 Explored Chip Design in the Era of AI

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Photo above: SNUG Israel 2024. Credit: Yoni Reif

The Synopsys Users Group (SNUG) held its annual Israel conference, SNUG Israel 2024 in Herzliya last week. Executive Chair and Founder of Synopsys, Dr. Aart de Geus, delivered a keynote which explored the profound shifts shaping the semiconductor industry. Dr. de Geus delved into the exponential semiconductor technological advances of this decade, emphasizing how AI is driving vertical-market opportunities and redefining products, processes, and innovation.

“The ingenuity of our industry cannot be overestimated,” said Dr. Aart de Geus. “We are surrounded by the acceleration from ‘scale complexity’ to ‘systemic complexity’, and with it, a great opportunity to shape the future of silicon and software-defined systems. It is the collaboration across the ecosystem that has brought us to this moment, and it is this collective force that will continue to redefine what’s possible.”

The customer keynote was presented by VP of Engineering at Google Cloud, Uri Frank. His keynote, “It’s All About AI!”, offered a deep dive into the transformative AI trends reshaping technology. He shared his perspective on the challenges and opportunities AI presents to the systems and silicon industries, emphasizing the pivotal role of AI in the design and development of next-generation technologies.

SNUG Israel 2024 is the 20th annual SNUG event in Israel. The conference featured more than 35 technical presentations, with dedicated tracks covering critical topics such as digital design implementation & signoff, verification software and hardware, analog/mixed-signal (AMS) design & simulation, successful IP integration into SoCs, formal & functional safety (FuSa), emulation & FPGA prototyping and energy-efficient SoCs.

SNUG is one of the world’s largest user conference in the electronics industry, with over 12,000 Synopsys tool and technology users participating across North America, Europe, Asia,  and Israel.

Valens: Three Automotive Design Wins

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Valens Semiconductor (NYSE: VLN) has achieved three automotive design wins from leading European OEMs for its VA7000 MIPI A-PHY chipsets. The OEMs, which belong to a group of automotive brands, plan to embed Valens’ MIPI A-PHY chipsets in certain vehicle models with Start of Production (SoP) in 2026. The expected production volume may reach approximately 500,000 vehicles per year. Valens estimates that upon commercialization ramp up, the design wins will generate over $10 million dollars in annual revenue, for a period of 5-7 years.

Valens achieved these design wins in collaboration with leading Automotive Tier-1s on the camera side and on the System on Chip (SoC) side, both of which now offer native A-PHY support in their platforms. The selection of Valens chipsets follows intensive testing of a variety of connectivity solutions. Valens is a key contributor to the MIPI A-PHY standard, and offers the automotive industry a solution for sensor connectivity with immunity to electromagnetic noise.

The VA7000 chipsets was the first in the industry to implement the MIPI A-PHY standard for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving systems (ADS). MIPI A-PHY specifies in-vehicle high-speed data transmission over lightweight wiring harnesses for up to 15 meters, with adaptive noise cancellation and retransmission mechanisms to guarantee superior EMC/EMI performance. The VA7000 family has been designed to support the current and future gears of MIPI A-PHY – from 2Gbpps to 16Gbps as defined in version 1.0, and with a roadmap to 48Gbps and beyond as expected in future versions.

Valens’ second quarter 2024 revenues reached $13.6 million, compared to $24.2 million in the second quarter of 2023. Automotive revenues accounted for approximately 40% of total revenues at $5.5 million, compared to $8.7 million in the second quarter of 2023, due to lower demand from Mercedes-Benz. The company expects third quarter revenues to be between $14.7 million to $15.4 million.

 

Nanovel Unveiled Fruit Harvesting Robot

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Israel-based Nanovel unveiled an AI-powered autonomous fruit-harvesting robot capable of picking tree fruits. It features a telescopic multi-arm platform equipped with advanced vision systems, edge computer and AI software to identify, assess, and selectively pick fruit with precision that meets fresh market quality standards.

Currently, the robot is towed by a tractor. Future versions are planned to include an internal driving unit and autonomous navigation capabilities. In the first phase, the robot is planned to harvest oranges, with later expansion to other types of citrus. The company’s crop roadmap includes lemons, grapefruits, avocados, mangoes, peaches, and nectarines.

The California Citrus Research Board (CRB) has signed a non-dilutive funding agreement with Nanovel, which includes the delivery of a robot after a series of field trials in California, totaling $900,000. The field trials are set to start in the spring of 2025, and will be conducted in cooperation with leading citrus growers.

Nanovel was established in 2018 by the company’s CEO Isaac Mazor, former Founder and CEO of Jordan Valley Semiconductors, which was acquired by Bruker International in 2015. Nanovel will showcase the AI-powered autonomous fruit harvesting robot at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit, which will take place in London between September 30 and October 1.

Stratasys to cut its workforce by approx 15%

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Following weak sales during the last year, and a comprehensive strategic review, Stratasys is taking focused restructuring actions to strengthen its balance sheet .The company announced it will streamline operations and enhance its go to market strategy to focus on the highest growth potential products, materials and software solutions. By the end of this year, the Company will have rightsized its current 2,000 employees workforce by approximately 15%. These steps are expected to produce approximately $40 million in annual cost savings beginning in the first quarter of 2025.

Dr. Yoav Zeif, Stratasys’ Chief Executive Officer (photo above), stated, “We continuously evaluate and assess our business model to ensure we are optimally aligned with evolving market conditions. This realignment is critical to ensure that we can achieve our objectives to deliver sustained profitability and cash flow, while remaining ready to capture opportunities when the spending cycle improves.”

Stratasys provides additive manufacturing with 3D printing solutions for industries such as aerospace, automotive, consumer products, healthcare, fashion and education. For the Second Quarter 2024, the company reported a net loss of $26.8 million. Revenues totaled $138.0 million, compared to $159.8 million in the second quarter 2023. Based on current market conditions, the Company is updating its outlook for the full year 2024 and expects revenue of $570 million to $580 million, compared with $627.6 million for the full year 2023.

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Eltek Receives Purchase Orders Totaling $3.5 Million

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Photo above: Eltek Production floor in Petach Tikva, Israel

The PCB manufacturer Eltek Ltd. (PETACH TIKVA, Israel), announced that it had received orders totaling $3.5 million from two defense customers. The products are with high technology requirements and to be delivered beginning in the fourth quarter of 2024 through the end of 2026. The Company expects to receive additional long-term orders from these customers in the near term. “The orders are in accordance with our policy of striving for long-term orders which allow optimal production planning and maximum efficiency and profitability,” commented Eli Yaffe, CEO of Eltek.

Eltek specializes in the manufacture and supply of complex PCBs, HDI, multilayered and flex-rigid boards for high-end markets. Its customers include major companies in the defense, aerospace and medical industries in Israel, the United States, Europe and Asia. Its revenues for the second quarter of 2024 were $10.5 million compared to $11.0 million in the second quarter of 2023. During the first six months of 2024 the revenues totaled $22.2 million compared to $22.5 million in the first six months of 2023.

The company attributed the decline of sales in the second qurter to a significant timing shift by some key customers. Due to the ongoing war in the Middle East, many defense customers  prioritized urgent orders for PCBs with medium technology requirements, resulting in lower prices and margins. “Orders for more complex, higher-margin PCBs were pushed back and are scheduled to be produced in the third quarter.”

Eli Yaffe: “We expect to return in in the third quarter to the profitability parameters of previous quarters, as product mix strategies are realigned. Our backlog as of today increased by 30% since the beginning of 2024. While this has impacted our short-term financial performance, we remain confident in our long-term strategy and market position.”

 

Avnet ASIC Team Launches Ultra-Low-Power Design Services for TSMC’s 4nm Process Node

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Avnet ASIC, a division of Avnet Silica, an Avnet company (NASDAQ: AVT), today announced that it has launched its new ultra-low-power design services for TSMC’s cutting-edge 4nm and below process technologies. These services are designed to enable customers to achieve exceptional power efficiency and performance in their high-performance applications, such as blockchain and AI edge computing. TSMC is the world’s leading silicon foundry and Avnet ASIC division is a leading provider of ASIC and SoC full turnkey solutions.

The new design services leverage a comprehensive approach to address the challenges of operating at extreme low-voltage conditions in the 4nm and below nodes. This includes recharacterizing standard cells for lower voltages, performing early RTL exploration to optimize power, performance, and area (PPA) tradeoffs, implementing an optimized clock tree, and utilizing transistor-level simulations to enhance the power optimization process.

The Avnet ASIC team built a full-scale technical A-Z approach to enable PPA optimization of high-performance chips working at extremely low voltage and proved it in TSMC’s 4nm process. Performance, dynamic and leakage power estimations have been confirmed by post-silicon validation.

The customer defined the board solution and chip implementation concept, requirements, and executed front-end design based on library characterization for near-threshold voltage operation. Avnet ASIC then executed this design to meet aggressive market targets, enabling the ultra-low-power performance of the customer’s application.

“One of the industry challenges today is to optimize application performance by choosing the correct technology to meet customer needs,” said Pavel Vilk, GM and Head of Engineering at Avnet ASIC.

“TSMC’s 4nm process provides a great opportunity to save power and area without compromising target performance. However, operating at low voltages puts a lot of effort on voltage drop, which needs to be optimized through a holistic solution of board-package-chip design. Being a TSMC Value Chain Aggregator and a full turnkey partner to customers, we believe this new achievement could bring great value in helping our customers deliver their products to market competitively.”

The new announcement follows the announcement of the Avnet ASIC team from February that it has been appointed as a Value Chain Aggregator (VCA) by TSMC. The appointment positions the Avnet ASIC team as a channel for TSMC ASIC customers, offering a full turnkey solution from design inception to layout and mass production, implemented in TSMC’s most advanced silicon processes.

The collaboration signifies a landmark agreement within Avnet, enhancing the offerings by combining the strong technology of TSMC with the ASIC design and manufacturing capabilities of Avnet ASIC. This initiative enables access to TSMC’s most advanced silicon processes for customers, establishing Avnet ASIC as a channel partner of TSMC for comprehensive ASIC SoC solutions.

[Photo credit: Eyal Touge]

Bojangles and Hi Auto Expand Drive-thru Voice AI Ordering Partnership

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[Photo credit: Hi Auto]

Hi Auto and growing chicken and biscuits chain Bojangles announced today the signing of an agreement to expand Hi Auto’s drive-thru voice AI platform to hundreds of additional Bojangles restaurants, both company-owned and franchised. The partnership continues to revolutionize the Bojangles drive-thru experience for customers and boost employee satisfaction. Hi Auto is an award-winning leader in drive-thru voice AI technology with an accuracy rate exceeding 95%, rivaling human employees’ performance and surpassing any other voice AI capability on the market.

Joining the restaurant’s teams as Bo-Linda, Hi Auto’s drive-thru AI technology has already been successfully deployed in over 50 Bojangles restaurants, with new locations added on an almost daily basis. With her personal touch, Bo-Linda’s integration into drive-thru operations has been designed to ease the workload of team members, allowing employees to focus on food quality, order accuracy, and engagement with guests. This initiative reflects Bojangles’ commitment to fostering a positive work environment and empowering its dedicated team to deliver the very best chicken, biscuits, and tea.

Bo-Linda has helped transform employees’ perception of technology, as Bo-Linda is viewed as a valuable team member instead of a threat to their jobs. Bo-Linda communicates directly with team members who can share valuable information like wait times for certain menu items. Bo-Linda then uses this information when she ”talks” to guests to ensure a smooth and enjoyable transaction.

”Providing a great environment where team members feel empowered to do a great job reduces turnover and improves the guest experience,” said industry veteran Richard Del Valle, Chief Information Officer at Bojangles. “We recognized the opportunity to use this technology to improve the employee experience, which would extend to an improved guest experience.

“Our aim at Bojangles is to be an aggressive early adopter, combining the best technologies with our renowned Southern hospitality to improve every aspect of our business performance,” said Del Valle. “Bo-Linda takes orders more than 96% of the time without human intervention. This directly promotes overall satisfaction by offloading order-taking tasks from team members to enable their focus to be on providing a fantastic and consistent customer experience.”

“We believe in technology that works hand-in-hand with human capabilities. Our AI solution is designed to enhance, not replace, the valuable skills and expertise of Bojangles’ employees,” said Roy Baharav, CEO of Hi Auto. “By automating routine tasks, we free up time for restaurant employees to focus on building meaningful connections with customers and embracing more intricate aspects of their roles.”

This partnership is a testament to both Bojangles and Hi Auto’s commitment to innovation and delivering a personalized and novel ordering experience. By embracing Hi Auto’s technologies, Bojangles continues to set the standard for the quick-service restaurant industry.