NI announced a new initiative to deliver real-time semiconductor analytics solutions at the edge using its NI Global Operations (GO, formerly Optimal+) platform. Mainly this new level of infrastructure and control opens the door for more advanced and customized applications by platform users, NI, and even third parties. Also, the announcement highlights a new enablement layer within the NI GO ecosystem and initial integration with leading ATE vendor, Teradyne.

Increasing quality, yield, throughput, and functionality demands on semiconductor test operations have spurred interest in developing better, more responsive test controls. To address this, the new NI Global Operations Real-time Application Enablement Layer extends existing G O platform capabilities to secure, low-latency tester servers so analytics models can run in-line with test execution.

Rudy Sengupta, NI VP & GM of Test and Analytics Software, adds, “All trends in the semiconductor industry point to a greater emphasis on test. To keep up, our customers need to make test decisions faster, which now means in-line with the test itself. To make this viable, we understand the value of ecosystem collaboration. (We) see our new Real-time Enablement Layer and ATE partnerships as a critical inflection point in the value, thus we can derive from test analytics.”

Mainly, the new enablement layer enhances the open architecture and robust analytics capabilities of NI Global Operations. Specifically, it adds integrated support for ATE test floor platforms. Their local data, security, and communication protocols combined with NI GO backend analytics creates a complete and trusted solution for real-time control in semiconductor test. Starting with Teradyne means its tester footprints will have access to these new capabilities. In addition, the open architecture will allow any and all ATE vendors and platforms to be supported in the future. More planned announcements are set to come.

By directly working with ATE vendors, NI can ensure long-term support, collaboration, and innovation around these joint solutions. These relationships aim to enable a combined, integrated architecture that better utilizes ATE servers to allow new possibilities for semiconductor test optimization. This is possible now due to increased investment by ATE vendors to support their test platforms with secure, integrated edge solutions.

Specifically, the Teradyne Archimedes analytics solution integrates technologies like data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning into test solutions. Its open architecture supports leading analytics solution models. Also, it enables a secure stream of real-time data with near-zero test time impact that improves quality, increases yield, and reduces tester downtime.

“Teradyne is excited to collaborate with NI to support advanced analytics on their Global Operations Platform,” said Regan Mills, Vice President of Marketing for Semiconductor Test at Teradyne, “Advanced learning models, coupled with secure, genuine data, are crucial to delivering quality end products and supporting emerging technologies. NI’s GO Platform and Teradyne’s Archimedes delivers an end-to-end solution that offers real-time data lifecycle management in a secure and protected environment.”

As a member of the Teradyne Archimedes ecosystems, NI GO analytics models and applications gain the computing resources available to act closer to test activities than ever before. This means data-driven actions and controls can be triggered during test execution. In addition, these models benefit from the security protocols native to the ATE servers, meaning all data and IP are sufficiently protected. As a result, existing solutions, like Re-binning or DPAT, can be more impactful in real-time, while also opening the door for next-generation and DIY solutions that were never thought possible, like drift detection.

Generally, this development from NI is more than just their contribution to the recent industry changes in the semiconductor test and analytics ecosystem. In fact, it completes the entire analytics pipeline from tester to edge to cloud and back. This means the real-time, ATE-based models are not isolated or stagnant. They are powered by a larger analytics ecosystem that connects all testers and test floors, internal and external, to a single, big data instance, allowing deeper learning for more impactful, continuously updating insights. In addition, the GO Edge Servers act as the model and app management hub to ensure the real-time models are deployed, updated, tracked, and EOLed effectively.

Further, the NI GO + ATE solutions combines real-time control with a complete, adaptive analytics backend. This design makes the NI GO + ATE solutions the most impactful test control capabilities on the market.