It doesn’t matter where you look, interfaces are an important part of what we do. At the chip level, there are interfaces between the blocks, interfaces between the chip and the outside world, interfaces between digital and analog, interfaces between the electronics and humans.

Sometimes you find recurring themes and once you recognize the theme you see more and more cases of it springing up. Several years ago I noticed how migration to the electronic system level (ESL) was stalling and I finally realized it was because the companies trying to break into the market were trying to do too much, too quickly.

Analog designers are not as accustomed to the 'benefits' of process scaling that come with the deep submicron technologies as their digital brethren. But there is one crucial improvement: speed.

Intel's decision to put triple-gate or finFET-style transistors into action in its forthcoming 22nm process signals the beginning of the end for the classic planar transistor on bulk silicon. Although most other fab owners are not as keen as Intel to opt for a break with the past, they will have to decide on an alternative – whether it is a finFET or the fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (SOI) planar design that some believe will be better for mobile systems.