The importance of a holistic system-level approach was one of the common themes across the keynotes speeches given by top executives and guests at CadenceLIVE Americas 2021, a virtual event held on June 8 and 9. Machine learning, of course, was a major topic too – both in terms of new product announcements and R&D directions.
The ‘semiconductor renaissance’ and the role of hyperscalers
Cadence CEO Lip-Bu Tan opened the event by discussing the theme of ‘semiconductor renaissance’, the current silicon boom fueled by 5G, autonomous vehicles, industrial IoT, AI/ML. “It’s the first time we have multiple strong drivers at the same time,” he noted. “A few years ago, people were thinking semiconductor was a slowing, sunset industry, but not anymore. (…) We are currently facing a supply chain issue, but it’s due to overwhelming broad base demand. It is a great time to be in the semiconductor and electronics industry.” In his speech, Lip-Bu Tan devoted a special attention to the role of hyperscalers. “Hyperscalers are at the center of the renaissance and data revolutions,” he said. “Massive CAPEX spend, estimated at over 120 billion last year; over six hundred hyperscale data centers, with over a hundred opened in pandemic year 2020,” he pointed out. “[Hyperscalers[ participate in all stages of the data cycle and are pushing the need for innovation in technologies across computer, memory, storage and networking. (…) Hyperscalers are also pushing the most advanced process nodes, focus on the latest IP protocols (…). And they need advanced packaging, and also a lot of system-level simulation. It’s not just about chips to meet their needs; system level optimization across compute, networking and other hardware is needed, but also software needs to be co-optimized.” Among other things, Lip-Bu Tan also underlined the growth opportunities offered by data analysis and edge computing. Providing a general overview of all Cadence business, he also mentioned that Cadence Cloud is being used by over 175 customers.
Lip-Bu Tan. Credit: Cadence
