AMD, TSMC & Imec Show Their Chiplet Playbooks at ISSCC
By Don Scansen, EETimes (February 26, 2021)
A lot has been said about the shift from a system-on-chip integration of functionality to a technology integrating each IP block as a physically distinct chiplet. Perhaps the emergence of this new paradigm is most aptly represented by the devotion of a full forum session to chiplets at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference. The virtual conference just wrapped up.
All eight of the forum (aka ISSCC Exploration) presentations offered an interesting look at chiplet technology. But three in particular provided an overview of the systems already on the market, the technology trends, and the ecosystem necessary to accelerate the new design approach.
AMD, Getting Started
AMD’s latest crop of microprocessors are well-known for their chiplet approach that optimized design and use of the most appropriate technology node for the chips. AMD senior vice president, corporate Fellow, and product technology architect Sam Naffziger presented the details of the motivations (wafer manufacturing technology slowing) and the challenges of breaking up their processors into purpose-built slices better matched to cutting edge and older technology nodes. The case study was the development of the EPYC server processor.
Naffziger pointed out that the idea of circuits comprised of multiple chips isn’t new. The multi-chip module (MCM) idea started back in the days of ceramic substrates and migrated to organic substrates. “The end of Moore’s Law plus packaging advancements create a new era for multi-chip/chiplet approaches.”
![]() |
E-mail This Article | ![]() |
![]() |
Printer-Friendly Page |
Related News
- Apple, AMD Back TSMC's Tripled Investment, Tech Upgrade in Arizona
- Alphawave IP announces production availability of new PCIe-CXL solution on TSMC N5 process for storage and broader chiplet market
- USB 4.0, USB 3.2, USB 3.0, USB 2.0 Silicon Proven PHYs in TSMC, UMC & SMIC Foundries available from T2MIP
- PCIe Gen5 & PCIe Gen4 Phy IP available in TSMC 12FFC
- TSMC 12FFC silicon proven SERDES Phy IPs' for HDMI 2.1, PCIe Gen5, DDR4, USB 4 & MIPI Interfaces available immediately for your next SoC
Breaking News
- Hardware Root of Trust: The Key to IoT Security in Smart Homes
- Faraday Announces Multi-site Manufacturing Support in ASIC
- Chiplet Pioneer Eliyan Joins UCIe and JEDEC Industry Standardization Organizations, Expands Veteran Leadership Team to Accelerate Adoption of Breakthrough Die-to-Die Interconnect Solution
- EU Parliament Adopts Position on Chips Act
- Linaro to Acquire Arm Forge Software Tools Business