Freeware has its limitations, but for some operations it is surprisingly effective.

Larger companies typically have a signal and power integrity department that performs power integrity analysis on development projects, and which has exclusive access to signal integrity software licenses. In these cases, these tools are not available to hardware design engineers. Often, the SI team engineering resources are only available with larger delays or on only one or two occasions during a project. Small companies generally lack SI teams; instead, hardware design engineers perform SI/PI analysis. Many small companies cannot afford to purchase SI/PI simulation software. So, were a hardware design engineer to need some quick simulation or need to experiment, they often simply have to give up getting any accurate SI/PI insight into their designs.

A new generation of data formats for PCB production is emerging that enable the exchange of data between CAD (development) and CAM (production). Würth Elektronik has already been successfully implemented and have shown to bring benefits for customers.

Today I’m talking about the gradual convergence of EDA single tools to integrated systems. In the early days of HiFi home entertainment systems, specialist vendors provided separate record (vinyl!) decks, amplifiers and speakers, then left it to the ingenuity of the customer to build their own system – they still do for the serious audiophiles.

Samsung Electronics, the electronics giant and the flagship company of the Samsung Group in Korea, continues to enjoy success in the global electronics market. Samsung has reached the number one position for many electronics products that include semiconductors and mobile devices. Samsung Galaxy Series, the brand name of Samsung’s tablet PC and smartphone is gobbling up market share from its competitors. The future looks bright for Samsung.