Designing in 2023: 10 Problems to Solve w/ Jim Keller

Summary

In this talk, the speaker explores modern challenges in chip design and engineering, emphasizing the balance between solving problems and creating new ones. Key topics include the evolution of chip design with the shift to chiplets, the potential of open-source technologies like RISC-V, and the disruptive impact of AI in problem-solving. The speaker highlights the importance of collaboration, using advanced tools, and leveraging chiplet technology to accelerate innovation. Despite challenges like shrinking transistor sizes and high costs, the focus is on finding new solutions through technological advancements, with AI playing a pivotal role in reshaping the future of hardware design.

Takeaways

• 😀 Engineers thrive on solving problems, which lead to new challenges and innovation in technology.
• 😀 Moore's Law may be becoming obsolete, but the pursuit of solving increasingly complex problems continues.
• 😀 Technology limitations, such as the increasing energy of photons as wavelengths shrink, present fundamental challenges in design.
• 😀 Despite technology limitations, biological systems demonstrate the potential for extremely dense and low-power computation, providing hope for future advancements.
• 😀 The integration of chiplets and high-quality IP could reduce the need for redesigning components, leading to faster development cycles and more cost-effective solutions.
• 😀 Chiplets allow for more modular designs, enabling companies to combine pre-built components like CPUs, memory controllers, and AI processors, reducing time to market.
• 😀 Open-source software is revolutionizing the hardware space, with RISC-V leading the charge, providing flexibility and innovation opportunities in processor design.
• 😀 Open-source collaboration lowers the cost of solving complex problems, allowing smaller teams to contribute and extend existing designs.
• 😀 AI is becoming a major tool in hardware design, enabling automation in tasks like layout and test generation, and potentially transforming how processors are designed.
• 😀 The future of chip design is in the integration of advanced technologies, like 3nm nodes, chiplets, open-source collaboration, and AI, creating more efficient, customizable, and scalable systems.

Q & A

Why does the speaker refer to problems as 'fun' and essential in engineering?

The speaker emphasizes that problems are what drive innovation in engineering. Engineers are problem-solvers, and by tackling challenges, they create solutions that push technology forward. Problems also create opportunities for job creation and advancement in the field.

What is the significance of Moore's Law, and why does the speaker mention its obsolescence?

Moore's Law, which suggests that the number of transistors on a chip doubles approximately every two years, is being challenged as technology advances. While some believe it is becoming obsolete, the speaker argues that while the law may evolve, it is still a key driver for technological development, particularly in miniaturization and efficiency.

What are 'chiplets,' and why are they considered important for future chip design?

Chiplets are smaller, modular components of a larger chip that can be designed, manufactured, and integrated into a system separately. The speaker highlights chiplets as a solution to reduce costs, improve flexibility, and accelerate time to market by allowing different functionalities to be mixed and matched without starting from scratch.

How does the speaker describe the role of open-source development in the hardware industry?

The speaker discusses how open-source development, particularly with projects like RISC-V, has democratized innovation in hardware. Open-source tools and architectures allow engineers to build on existing technologies, share improvements, and create new solutions collaboratively, leading to faster, more widespread advancements.

What challenges does the speaker face when designing AI chips, and how are these being addressed?

The speaker mentions the challenge of dealing with varying memory and bandwidth requirements across different AI use cases. One solution is using chiplets to customize the configuration of memory and processing power, which can be adjusted based on the specific needs of each AI application.

What is the importance of AI in the chip design process, according to the speaker?

AI is seen as a transformative tool for solving complex design challenges. It is already being used in various areas, such as layout design, test generation, and code creation. The speaker predicts that AI will dramatically speed up the design process and enable more efficient creation of new hardware architectures.

Why is the speaker confident about the future of chip manufacturing despite current limitations?

The speaker expresses confidence because, while there are fundamental challenges in reducing size and improving energy efficiency (such as the limitations imposed by light wavelength), there are existing solutions in biology and emerging technologies (like DNA sequencing) that offer promising avenues for innovation.

What does the speaker mean by 'PPA' in chip design, and why is it significant?

PPA stands for Power, Performance, and Area, which are key metrics in chip design. The speaker notes that while current engineering practices excel at optimizing these factors, there is still a need for more innovative approaches to manage the complexities of next-generation chip designs, especially as technology nodes shrink.

How does the speaker view the cost of advanced chip nodes, and what solution is proposed?

The speaker views the high cost of advanced chip nodes (such as 3nm technology) as a major challenge. The solution proposed involves using chiplets to integrate only the necessary advanced technologies, which can lower costs and improve the time to market by using off-the-shelf components.

What role does the speaker see for RISC-V in the future of chip design?

RISC-V is highlighted as a key player in the future of chip design due to its open-source nature, which allows for customization and flexibility. The speaker describes how they are using RISC-V to design processors with specific AI capabilities, which would be difficult to achieve with other architectures that do not allow such modifications.