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To: tech101 who wrote (305)	7/15/1999 2:38:00 PM
From: tech101	Respond to of 1056

HP spin-off CEO warns of test gap as system-on-chip designs take off A service of Semiconductor Business News, CMP Media Inc. Story posted 9 a.m. EST/6 a.m., PST, 7/15/99 By J. Robert Lineback SAN JOSE -- The semiconductor industry faces a looming test gap that threatens to stifle system-on-chip designs as these complex ICs move into high-volume system applications, according to Edward W. (Ned) Barnholt, chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard Co.'s planned spin-off company, which will include HP's Automatic Test Group. During today's keynote speech at Semicon West '99 Manufacturing Test Conference here, Barnholt is expected to urge automatic test equipment suppliers to push harder for low-cost SOC testing and the use of flexible, general-purpose testers that incorporate multiple test methodologies. "The ATE industry must begin making test plans transportable to reduce the time and money it takes to create software programs. We should develop industry standards for extracting, transporting and integrating test plans," said an advanced draft of Barnholt's speech obtained by SBN. While the chip industry is moving quickly to create new system-on-chip ICs for Internet applications, mobile phones, computers and consumer products, the industry's test tools and techniques are lagging those designs, Barnholt warned. "There are tough problems that will require new thinking, new architectures and new tools," Barnholt said. "The answer to testing SOC isn't bigger, better stand-alone testers or cobbling together some combination of analog, digital and memory testers with hardware and software hooks." Barnholt believes ATE vendors must reverse old practices and begin to work together to create compatible test-system-transparent designs that will enable chip makers to transport intellectual property (IP) and test plans across multiple platforms from competing vendors. Earlier this year, HP announced a strategic realignment of its business with a yet-to-be-named company to be spun out and focused on test and measurement equipment, semiconductor components, medical monitoring products and chemical analysis instruments (see March 2 story). Barnholt has been named CEO of the $8 billion spin-off company. 204.247.196.31