Product Review
SiliconBlue launches 40nm mobileFPGA family (code name “Los Angeles”)
Clive Maxfield7/11/2011 4:07 PM EDT
Comment
Dr DSP
10M units this year is a very good target. Due to the high volume applications ...
The folks at SiliconBlue Technologies are specialists in creating Custom Mobile Device (CMD) solutions for handheld applications.
Their ultra-low-power CMOS SRAM-based FPGAs are designed from the ground up to satisfy the stringent power requirements of mobile devices. These single-chip components feature patented non-volatile configuration memory (NVCM), which means they don’t require an external configuration memory chip and also that they provide “instant on” capabilities.
Suppose you are creating a new product and you require a chip that can offload tasks from your main application processor and/or provide advanced capabilities that your application processor doesn’t support. Rather than create an expensive ASIC or purchase an off-the-shelf ASSP that doesn’t exactly match your requirements, a better solution is to use one of SiliconBlue’s mobileFPGAs.
Of particular interest is that the company offers a total solution for handset applications, including IP and design services. This means that you can sit down with SiliconBlue’s designers and tell them what you need. Within a few weeks (or a few months depending on the complexity) they will give you working chips to play with (you can also create the designs yourself if you really want).
An example product that demands the ultra-low-power and flexibility
of SiliconBlue's mobileFPGAs - the Aiptek 3D HD digital camera.
Anyway, the folks at SiliconBlue have just announced the availability, including fully functioning samples, of their new iCE40 “Los Angeles” mobileFPGA family. The LP-Series (Low-Power) and the HX-Series (High-Speed) families are targeted toward devices like smartphones and tablets, respectively.
Fabricated on TSMC 40-nm low-power standard CMOS process, the new LP and HX families provide twice the logic capacity of previous 65-nm devices.
Featuring ultra-low-power and ultra-small footprints (including the industry’s first 2.5 x 2.5mm micro plastic BGA), the Los Angeles LP-Series CMD is the ideal application processor companion chip solution for smartphone applications providing support for sensor management, high-speed custom connectivity and convergence of HD video and imaging. The low-power, low-cost Los Angeles HX-Series CMD targets tablets and provides support for sensor management, high-speed custom connectivity and tablet resolution, HD video and imaging. Supporting a broad range of smartphones and tablets, the LP and HX devices range from 640 to 16K Logic Cells.
The CM225 7mm x 7mm package
“We’ve proven our technology leadership with iCE65 and are on track to ship approximately ten million units this year. We are proud to announce we’ve taken the next bold step with Los Angeles CMDs by extending our video performance capability for smartphones to 525 Mbps, enabling HD720p 60Hz (1280 x 720) and HD1080p 30Hz (1920 x 1080),” said Kapil Shankar, CEO of SiliconBlue. “For tablets, CMDs can now support WUXGA (1920x1200) with dual LVDS, HD720p 60Hz (1280x720) and HD1080p 30Hz (1920x1080). MIPI-DPI/DBI is also supported.”
More details regarding SiliconBlue’s 40 nm-based mobileFPGA Los Angeles are available on www.siliconbluetech.com/LA. The next 40nm family, “San Francisco” will be announced in Q4 2011.
Pricing and availability
The iCE40LP8K and iCE40HX8K, 8000 Logic Cell, LP–Series and HX–Series devices are available now. Smallest package devices start at $1.99 USD in high volume. Most members of the Los Angeles mobileFPGA Family are expected to be full production by Q4 2011.
Visit www.siliconbluetech.com for more details.
Their ultra-low-power CMOS SRAM-based FPGAs are designed from the ground up to satisfy the stringent power requirements of mobile devices. These single-chip components feature patented non-volatile configuration memory (NVCM), which means they don’t require an external configuration memory chip and also that they provide “instant on” capabilities.
Suppose you are creating a new product and you require a chip that can offload tasks from your main application processor and/or provide advanced capabilities that your application processor doesn’t support. Rather than create an expensive ASIC or purchase an off-the-shelf ASSP that doesn’t exactly match your requirements, a better solution is to use one of SiliconBlue’s mobileFPGAs.
Of particular interest is that the company offers a total solution for handset applications, including IP and design services. This means that you can sit down with SiliconBlue’s designers and tell them what you need. Within a few weeks (or a few months depending on the complexity) they will give you working chips to play with (you can also create the designs yourself if you really want).
An example product that demands the ultra-low-power and flexibility
of SiliconBlue's mobileFPGAs - the Aiptek 3D HD digital camera.
Anyway, the folks at SiliconBlue have just announced the availability, including fully functioning samples, of their new iCE40 “Los Angeles” mobileFPGA family. The LP-Series (Low-Power) and the HX-Series (High-Speed) families are targeted toward devices like smartphones and tablets, respectively.
Fabricated on TSMC 40-nm low-power standard CMOS process, the new LP and HX families provide twice the logic capacity of previous 65-nm devices.
Featuring ultra-low-power and ultra-small footprints (including the industry’s first 2.5 x 2.5mm micro plastic BGA), the Los Angeles LP-Series CMD is the ideal application processor companion chip solution for smartphone applications providing support for sensor management, high-speed custom connectivity and convergence of HD video and imaging. The low-power, low-cost Los Angeles HX-Series CMD targets tablets and provides support for sensor management, high-speed custom connectivity and tablet resolution, HD video and imaging. Supporting a broad range of smartphones and tablets, the LP and HX devices range from 640 to 16K Logic Cells.
The CM225 7mm x 7mm package
“We’ve proven our technology leadership with iCE65 and are on track to ship approximately ten million units this year. We are proud to announce we’ve taken the next bold step with Los Angeles CMDs by extending our video performance capability for smartphones to 525 Mbps, enabling HD720p 60Hz (1280 x 720) and HD1080p 30Hz (1920 x 1080),” said Kapil Shankar, CEO of SiliconBlue. “For tablets, CMDs can now support WUXGA (1920x1200) with dual LVDS, HD720p 60Hz (1280x720) and HD1080p 30Hz (1920x1080). MIPI-DPI/DBI is also supported.”
More details regarding SiliconBlue’s 40 nm-based mobileFPGA Los Angeles are available on www.siliconbluetech.com/LA. The next 40nm family, “San Francisco” will be announced in Q4 2011.
Pricing and availability
The iCE40LP8K and iCE40HX8K, 8000 Logic Cell, LP–Series and HX–Series devices are available now. Smallest package devices start at $1.99 USD in high volume. Most members of the Los Angeles mobileFPGA Family are expected to be full production by Q4 2011.
Visit www.siliconbluetech.com for more details.
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Dr DSP
7/21/2011 12:46 PM EDT
10M units this year is a very good target. Due to the high volume applications they target the uncertainty of that target must be fairly large- both on the upside and downside.
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