Running eSim Anywhere with Docker (Mac, Linux & Windows)
🎤 Guest & Presenter: Sumanto Kar Docker installation :....... by the creators of TechSimplifiedTV.
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Running eSim Anywhere with Docker (Mac, Linux & Windows)
🎤 Guest & Presenter: Sumanto Kar Docker installation :
We have just dropped a special episode of The Semiconductor Podcast (TSP) featuring Venkatesh Kumar Pandurengan, General Manager of PTW Semiconductor India Private Limited , to discuss what Union Budget 2026 means for India’s semiconductor journey 🇮🇳
In this conversation, we explore the next phase of India’s semiconductor push — Semicon 2.0 and ISM 2.0 and what it could mean for manufacturing, ecosystem development, and talent. 💡 Key topics we covered: 📊 What Union Budget 2026 signals for semiconductor manufacturing in India 🔄 The transition toward Semicon 2.0 and ISM 2.0 🏭 The future of Fab, ATMP, and OSAT manufacturing in India 🔗 Building a strong semiconductor ecosystem and supply chain 👩🔬👨💻 The skills and talent pool needed to support this growth 🚀 Opportunities for MSMEs, startups, and ecosystem players 🌏 The potential for Eastern India to contribute to the semiconductor ecosystem This episode brings together insights on policy, manufacturing, skills, and ecosystem development — essential for anyone following India’s semiconductor ambitions. In this podcast series, discussion on VLSI and its related fields is presented, focusing on recent developments and advancements in the industry. Topics such as the latest trends and innovations in semiconductor technology are explored, offering insights into the evolving landscape. Career guidance is shared, providing practical advice for navigating the field, along with success stories that highlight the journeys of professionals who have made their mark in VLSI. Whether for students, professionals, or those interested in the subject, valuable knowledge is offered to help stay informed and succeed in this dynamic area. Guest : Venkatesh Kumar Pandurengan Venkatesh Kumar Pandurengan is a seasoned practice leader with over 20 years of experience in semiconductor equipment engineering, operations, and engineering R&D services, spanning fabs, ATMP, and OSAT manufacturing environments. His expertise covers a wide range of process modules including ATMP/OSAT operations, CVD, PVD, ALD, Etch, Metrology, CMP, wafer handling, and quality systems. Venkatesh has worked across leading ATMP and OSAT ecosystems with organizations such as HCL Technologies (Sankalp Semiconductors), Infineon Singapore, and ASE Singapore, as well as global fabs including IM Flash Singapore, Micron Singapore, Intel, GlobalFoundries, Tower Semiconductors, Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) Mohali, and META. He also brings deep engagement with major semiconductor equipment OEMs such as Applied Materials, Lam Research, Tokyo Electron (TEL), KLA, Agilent, and Teradyne (including J750 platforms), along with their sub-assembly units, making him a well-rounded leader with end-to-end insight into the semiconductor manufacturing value chain.
Once upon a time, networking meant configuring switches manually and managing small server racks. Today, AI runs on massive hyperscale data centers powered by automation, observability, and intelligent networking.
Today on The Semiconductor Podcast, we’re honored to feature Dr. Veena Chakravarthi,Director of Research & Engineering , LeadSoc Technologies Pvt Ltd and a semiconductor industry veteran with 38+ years of experience across VLSI, SoC architecture, research, startups, and academia.
In this powerful and deeply insightful episode, Dr. Veena Chakravarthi shares: 🚀 Her journey into VLSI & SoC design when India’s semiconductor ecosystem was still nascent 🧭 How semiconductor leadership has evolved over the past two decades 🧠 Real-world challenges in SoC architecture, low-power design, and IP-led innovation 🏗️ Building and scaling high-performance Offshore Development Centers (ODCs) 🎓 Bridging industry and academia as a professor, mentor, and researcher 📘 The story behind her widely referenced book A Practical Approach to VLSI SoC Design 🌸 A special early Women’s Day conversation on navigating deep tech as a woman leader, retaining women talent, and inspiring the next generation 🌷 In this podcast series, discussion on VLSI and its related fields is presented, focusing on recent developments and advancements in the industry. Topics such as the latest trends and innovations in semiconductor technology are explored, offering insights into the evolving landscape. Career guidance is shared, providing practical advice for navigating the field, along with success stories that highlight the journeys of professionals who have made their mark in VLSI. Whether for students, professionals, or those interested in the subject, valuable knowledge is offered to help stay informed and succeed in this dynamic area. Guest : Dr. Veena Chakravarthi Dr. Veena Chakravarthi is a semiconductor industry veteran with over 38 years of experience spanning VLSI and SoC architecture, design methodology, low-power systems, and end-to-end silicon realization. She currently serves as Director (Research & Engineering) at LeadSoc Technologies, where she drives research-led innovation, leads offshore development center (ODC) setup and scaling for global clients, and focuses on customer engagement, IP development, and SoC architecture definition. Her distinguished career includes senior leadership roles at Synopsys, co-founding and serving as CTO of a medtech startup with multiple US and India patents, and heading research at a leading engineering institute, where she mentored PhD scholars and actively bridged academia–industry gaps. A respected educator and published author of A Practical Approach to VLSI SoC Design (2nd edition), Dr. Chakravarthi is widely admired for her deep technical expertise, strategic leadership, and passion for nurturing next-generation semiconductor talent
What is DFT ?
Abriviation of Design for Testability. A set of design techniques that make ICs more testable after manufacturing. Since testing each functionality manually is impractical, DFT ensures that defects can be efficiently detected, diagnosed using ATE.
Challenges in Testability of Digital Circuits :
For Combinational Logic, testability decreases with increasing logic levels, whereas Sequential Circuits are harder to test due to multiple internal states.
Why is DFT important?
DFT is crucial to -
i. detect manufacturing defects (shorts, opens, stuck-at faults)
ii . to reduce the cost and time of post-silicon testing
iii. to ensure high yield and reliability of chips in production.
iv. to enable in-system diagnostics (like built-in self-test/BIST)
Common DFT Techniques :
ii. Boundary Scan (IEEE 1149.1 / JTAG) : Adds test circuitry to I/O pads for board-level testing and debugging. Common in SoCs and PCBs.
iii. Built-In Self-Test (BIST) : Circuit tests itself using internally generated patterns and response checking. Includes LBIST i.e. Logic BIST, MBIST Memory BIST
iv. Memory BIST (MBIST) : Specifically targets SRAM/DRAM/Flash testing inside the chip. Applies march tests or algorithms to detect memory faults.
v. Compresses test patterns and decompresses them on-chip to reduce test time and memory usage
vi. Test Compression : Compresses test patterns and decompresses them on-chip to reduce test time and memory usage
vii. Fault Simulation and ATPG : Software tools simulate faults and generate efficient test vectors
DFT Approaches :
1. Ad Hoc Approach
2. Structured Approach
DFT : Ad-hoc Approach
What is Ad-hoc approach ?
Non-systematic manual methods used in the early stages of test design, served as an early method to improve testability. This approach is limited in scalability, predictability, and automation. This limitation led to the development of structured DFT techniques.
Key Characteristics of Ad-hoc DFT:
i. Local Modifications: Involves small, manual changes to specific parts of the circuit to enhance testability. Examples: adding test points, simplifying logic, breaking feedback loops.
ii. Non-Systematic: There is no formal or repeatable process. Every design requires a different ad-hoc strategy, often reinventing solutions.
iii. Unpredictable Results: Improvement in testability is not guaranteed or consistent. Effectiveness varies from design to design.
iv. Not Easily Automatable: Because of its manual and unstructured nature, it cannot be automated by EDA tools.
v. Difficult to Budget and Plan: Hard to estimate time, cost, or resources required to implement DFT using ad-hoc methods.
Poor scalability. Doesn’t work well for complex and large designs. Requires expert knowledge and deep understanding of the circuit. Difficult to maintain or reuse in future designs.
Test Point Insertion:
A widely used ad hoc DFT technique , improves controllability and observability of internal circuit node.
Process :
Low controllability/observability nodes are identified by Testability analysis. Test points are inserted at these nodes in the form of:
1. Observation Points (OPs) – to improve observability.
2. Control Points (CPs) – to improve controllability.
Observation Point (OP) Insertion:
Above figure illustrates a circuit. With 3 low-observability nodes - Observation points composed of a MUX and a D flip flop . Low observability node is connected to the 0 port of the MUX. All OPs are serially connected to form a shift register. SE signal is used for MUX post selection.
i. When SE = 1 and CK =1 : the logic values of the low-observability nodes are captured into the D-FFS
ii. When SE= 1 , OP1 , OP2 ,OP3 operate as a shift registers
Captured logic values can be observed through OP_output during sequential clock cycles. Observability of the circuit nodes is greatly improved.
Control Point Insertion:
Above figure illustrates a circuit with 3 low-controllability nodes.
Structure of Control Point: Composed of a MUX and a D flip-flop. The original node connection is replaced by inserting a MUX between source and destination to increase controllability of the point.
Operation:
i. Normal mode : Test Mode = 0. Source drives destination via MUX port 0.
ii. Test mode : Test Mode =1, Value from the D FF drives destination via MUX port 1.
Outcome: Controllability is greatly enhanced.
Caution: Avoid inserting CPs on critical paths to prevent extra delay.
Preferred Practice :
Instead of a CP alone, consider a scan point (combination of CP + OP). This allows observing the source end as well as controlling the destination.
Test point sharing:
Multiple nodes can share a test point using XOR gate networks to merge low-observability nodes. This can reduce area overhead but might increase routing complexity.
DFT : Structured DFT
Structured Design-for-Testability (DFT) aims to improve circuit testability through a methodical, test-oriented design methodology, yielding more predictable results. Scan Design is the most widely used structured DFT technique. Improves controllability and observability of storage elements in sequential circuits. Achieved by converting a sequential design into a scan design with three modes of operation:
1. Normal Mode : All test signals are off; the circuit works in its functional configuration.
2. Shift Mode : Used to shift test data into and out of scan cells.
3. Capture Mode : Used to capture test responses after applying test stimuli.
Role of Test Mode Signal (TM) :
In Shift and Capture modes, the TM signal enables all test-related features. It simplifies testing, debugging, and fault diagnosis, improves fault coverage, Ensures safe circuit operation during tests. Circuit modes and operations are managed through extra test signals or test clocks.
Sequential Circuit Testing and Scan Design :
Testing sequential circuit is difficult. Sequential circuit has to low controllability and observability of internal states.Scan design provides external access to selected storage elements
- Selected storage element is converted into scan cells
- Scan cells are connected as scan chains (shift registers)
- In shift mode, test data is shifted in and responses are shifted out in n clock cycles.
- Direct access to storage elements simplifies test generation and speeds up fault detection.
SCAN CELL DESIGN:
A scan cell typically has two selectable inputs:
i. Data Input (DI): Receives signals from the circuit’s
combinational logic.
ii. Scan Input (SI): Receives signals from the output of
another scan cell to form one or more scan chains.
Converting Normal Flop into Scan Flop:
- A normal D-FF is converted in to a scan flop
- SCAN input is multiplex before putting into scan chain
- Scan enable is used to control which input will
propagate to output
Formation of Scan Chains :
- Scan cells are linked in sequence
- First scan cell’s scan I/P is connected to a primary I/P
- Last scan cell’s O/P is connected to a primary O/P
Selection Mechanism for Modes :
- Normal/Capture Mode: Data input is selected to update the output.
- Shift Mode: Scan input is selected to update the output.
Various Scan Cell Design :
1. Muxed-D Scan
2. Clocked-Scan
3. Level-Sensitive Scan Design (LSSD)
1. MUXED D-SCAN CELL:
i. Edge- triggered muxed-D scan cell design :
This scan cell is composed of a D flip-flop and a multiplexer. The multiplexer uses a scan enable (SE) input to select between the data input (DI) and the scan input (SI). In normal/capture mode, SE is set to 0. The value present at the data input DI is captured into the internal D flip-flop when a rising clock edge is applied. In shift mode, SE is set to 1. The SI is now used to shift in new data to the D flip-flop while the content of the D flip-flop is being shifted out.
ii. Level-sensitive/edge-triggered muxed-D scan cell design :
This scan cell is composed of a multiplexer, a D latch, and a D flip-flop. The multiplexer uses a scan enable input SE to select between the DI and SI. Shift operation is conducted in an edge-triggered manner . Normal and capture operation are conducted in a level-sensitive manner. Major advantages of using muxed-D scan cells are their compatibility to modern designs. The disadvantage is that each muxed-D scan cell adds a multiplexer delay to the functional path.
2. CLOCKED SCAN CELL :
An edge-triggered clocked-scan cell can also be used to replace a D flip-flop in a scan design. A clocked-scan cell also has a data input DI and a scan input SI . In the clocked-scan cell, input selection is conducted using two independent clocks, data clock DCK and shift clock SCK .
In our latest episode of The Semiconductor Podcast, we sit down with Parikshit Sengupta, Segment Head – Materials & Semiconductor at HORIBA India, to explore India’s evolving semiconductor manufacturing journey.
🔍 From his personal journey into semiconductors to a deep, yet accessible discussion on:
We’re delighted to welcome Naveen Muddu Krishna , Director of Product Engineering, SanDisk to The Semiconductor Podcast for a deeply insightful and heartfelt conversation.
With over 22 years in the semiconductor industry, his journey is one that truly resonates—from hands-on engineering in digital, analog, and system design to leading large global teams across India, the US, South Korea, and Israel. In this episode, he speaks candidly about growth, responsibility, leadership, and the realities of building world-class products at scale.
🔍 What we explored in this episode:
• 🌱 His early career journey and lessons that shaped him as an engineer and leader
• 🔄 Transitioning from technical contributor to global engineering leadership
• 🌍 Leading diverse teams across geographies with trust and alignment
• 🧠 Thinking at the system level across networking, embedded, video, healthcare, storage & defense
• 🏭 Bridging the gap between design intent and manufacturing reality
• 🤖 How AI, automation, and Industry 4.0 are reshaping engineering work
• ⚖️ Where human judgment, accountability, and ownership still matter most
• 🇮🇳 India’s evolving role in ESDM, GCCs, and global product ownership
• 🎓 Closing the gap between industry and academia
• 💬 Honest advice for Gen Z engineers navigating their careers
🎧 This episode is reflective, practical, and inspiring—especially for engineers, leaders, and anyone building long-term impact in deep tech.
▶️ Watch the episode here :
We’re excited to announce a brand-new episode featuring Prof. Amlan Chakrabarti—a pioneer in quantum computing and a leading voice in VLSI, EDA, AI, and advanced computing.
In this episode, we explore his remarkable journey from hands-on EDA engineering to starting quantum computing research nearly two decades ago, well before it became mainstream. From developing early computational tools for quantum research to now looking at collaborations on qubit fabrication, the conversation truly spans the full stack—from design to devices. 🔍 What we discussed in today’s episode: • 🧩 His early career in EDA (OrCAD, VHDL) and how it shaped his research mindset • ⚛️ Why he chose quantum computing when it was still a niche field • 🛠️ Key bottlenecks in quantum tech: hardware, CAD tools & algorithms • 🔋 The role of reversible logic & ultra-low-power computing in future chips • 📐 Gaps between academic EDA research and industry-ready tools • 🔁 Where FPGAs and reconfigurable platforms fit in the next decade • 🤖 How AI is becoming deeply embedded into chips and real-world systems • 🇮🇳 Urgent gaps in India’s engineering education & research ecosystem • 🎓 Skills young engineers & PhD aspirants need for semiconductors + AI + quantum • 🌍 What excites him most about the next decade of computing and India’s global role 🎧 A deep, insightful, and future-facing conversation you don’t want to miss! In this podcast series, discussion on VLSI and its related fields is presented, focusing on recent developments and advancements in the industry. Topics such as the latest trends and innovations in semiconductor technology are explored, offering insights into the evolving landscape. Career guidance is shared, providing practical advice for navigating the field, along with success stories that highlight the journeys of professionals who have made their mark in VLSI. Whether for students, professionals, or those interested in the subject, valuable knowledge is offered to help stay informed and succeed in this dynamic area. Guest : Amlan Chakrabarti Prof. Amlan Chakrabarti is a distinguished academic and researcher with over 20 years of experience in engineering education and research. He serves as the Chief Coordinator of the International Center of Excellence for Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Futuristic Technologies—an initiative of the Department of Higher Education, Government of West Bengal—driving innovation, collaboration, and global impact through advanced research and education. A Professor and Director of the A.K. Choudhury School of IT, University of Calcutta, and Adjunct Professor at IIIT Delhi, his core expertise spans quantum computing, machine learning, computer vision, cyber-physical systems, and reconfigurable computing. He completed his Ph.D. in quantum computing at the University of Calcutta and post-doctoral research at Princeton University, and has been recognized with several prestigious honors including the Young Scientist Award, BOYSCAST Fellowship, and Senior Member of IEEE status. Prof. Chakrabarti has authored over 200 research publications and has successfully secured multiple national and international research grants.
What does it really take to build a semiconductor ecosystem in a region often labeled as “non-tech”? 🤔
And what changes when global semiconductor experience meets grassroots action in Bihar 🌱?