ICs & Semiconductors

Discrete RF transistors by NXP Semiconductors enable smaller, lighter weight 5G radios to facilitate  deployment in urban and suburban areas. The 32T32R active antenna systems use proprietary GaN technology and join NXP’s discrete GaN power amplifiers for 64T64R radios, covering all cellular frequency bands from 2.3 to 4.0GHz. According to NXP, it now offers the largest RF GaN portfolio for massive multiple input, multiple output (massive MIMO) 5G radios.

Mobile network operators are adding 32T32R radios to increase massive MIMO coverage beyond dense urban areas. By combining 32 antennas instead of 64, coverage can be maintained more cost effectively, reasoned NXP, while maintaining the high-end 5G experience enabled by massive MIMO.

The latest RF power transistors deliver twice the power in the same package as NXP’s 64T64R devices, for a smaller and lighter overall 5G connectivity solution. The 32T32R devices are pin-compatible with the earlier generation of devices, for rapid scaling of 5G networks.

The GaN discrete devices are designed for 10W average power at the antenna, targeting 320W radio units, with up to 58 per cent of drain efficiency. The design includes driver and final-stage transistors as well as NXP’s RF GaN technology.

“As 5G deployments continue to expand globally, network operators need to extend their coverage while maintaining performance,” noted Jim Norling, vice president and general manager, High Power Solutions, Radio Power, NXP. “By offering twice the power in the same package size, NXP enables RF engineers to create base stations that are smaller, lighter and easier to deploy and conceal in urban and suburban areas.”

NXP offers a 5G portfolio from antenna to processor to accelerate 5G deployments for secure infrastructure, industrial, and automotive applications, including the Airfast RF power family and the Layerscape family of multi-core processors for wireless data links, fixed wireless access, and small cell devices.

http://www.nxp.com

Single switch topology, with current sensing and protection circuitry are integrated in the VIPerGaN50 converter. According to STMicroelectronics, it simplifies building single switch flyback converters up to 50W and integrates a 650V GaN power transistor for energy efficiency and miniaturisation.

The VIPerGaN50 is in a compact and low-cost 5.0 x 6.0mm package. The speed of the integrated GaN transistor allows a high switching frequency with a small and lightweight flyback transformer, said ST. Minimal additional external components are needed to design an advanced, high-efficiency switched mode power supply (SMPS), added the company.

Designers can leverage GaN wide-bandgap technology to meet increasingly stringent ecodesign codes that target global energy savings and net-zero carbon emissions. The converters are suitable for consumer and industrial applications such as power adapters, USB-PD chargers, and power supplies for home appliances, air conditioners, LED lighting equipment and smart meters.

The converter operates in multiple modes to maximise efficiency at all line and load conditions. At heavy load, quasi-resonant (QR) operation with zero voltage switching minimises turn-on losses and electromagnetic emissions. At reduced load, valley skipping limits switching losses and leverages ST’s proprietary valley lock to prevent audible noise. Frequency foldback with zero-voltage switching ensures the highest possible efficiency at light load, continued the company, with adaptive burst mode operation to minimise losses at very low load. Power management cuts standby power to below 30mW.

Built-in features include output over-voltage protection, brown-in and brown-out protection and input over-voltage protection. Input-voltage feedforward compensation is also provided, to minimise output peak-power variation, as well as embedded thermal shutdown, and frequency jittering to minimise EMI.

The VIPerGaN50 is in production now and available in a 5.0 x 6.0mm QFN package. It is in a free-sample programme and can be ordered online.

http://www.st.com 

Claimed to be the world’s first data centre CPU using 3D die stacking, the third generation AMD EPYC processors with AMD 3D V-Cache technology (codenamed Milan-X) has been released. AMD built the CPU family on the Zen 3 core architecture and can deliver up to 66 per cent performance uplift across a variety of targeted technical computing workloads versus comparable, non-stacked third gen AMD EPYC processors, reported the company.

The new processors are also claimed to feature the industry’s largest L3 cache, delivering the same socket, software compatibility and modern security features as third gen EPYC CPUs but with features for technical computing workloads such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD), finite element analysis (FEA), electronic design automation (EDA) and structural analysis, used in testing and validating designs.

“Building upon our momentum in the data centre . . .  [third generation] AMD EPYC processors with AMD 3D V-Cache technology . . . offer the industry’s first workload-tailored server processor with 3D die stacking technology,” said Dan McNamara, senior vice president and general manager, Server Business Unit, AMD. “Our latest processors with AMD 3D V-Cache technology provide breakthrough performance for mission-critical technical computing workloads leading to better designed products and faster time to market,” he added.

Technical computing workloads relying heavily on large data sets. These workloads benefit from increased cache size, however 2D chip designs have physical limitations on the amount of cache that can effectively be built on the CPU. AMD 3D V-Cache technology solves these physical challenges by bonding the AMD Zen 3 core to the cache module, increasing the amount of L3 while minimising latency and increasing throughput, according to AMD. This represents a step forward in CPU design and packaging and enables breakthrough performance in targeted technical computing workloads, commented the company.

The third generation AMD EPYC processors with AMD 3D V-Cache technology deliver faster time-to-results on targeted workloads. For example, the 16-core, AMD EPYC 7373X CPU can deliver up to 66 per cent faster simulations on Synopsys VCS, when compared to the EPYC 73F3 CPU. 

The 64-core AMD EPYC 7773X processor can deliver, on average, 44 per cent more performance on Altair Radioss simulation applications compared to the competition’s top of stack processor, claimed AMD. In a third comparison, AMD reported the 32-core AMD EPYC 7573X processor can solve an average of 88 per cent more computational flow dynamic (CFD) problems per day than a comparable competitive 32-core count processor, while running Ansys CFX.

These performance capabilities enable customers to deploy fewer servers and reduce power consumption in the data centre, helping to lower total cost of ownership (TCO), reduce carbon footprint and address environmental sustainability goals, said AMD. 

The third generation AMD EPYC processors with AMD 3D V-Cache technology are available today from OEM partners, including, Atos, Cisco, Dell Technologies, Gigabyte, HPE, Lenovo, QCT, and Supermicro.

Third generation AMD EPYC processors with AMD 3D V-Cache technology are also broadly supported by AMD software ecosystem partners, including, Altair, Ansys, Cadence, Dassault Systèmes, Siemens, and Synopsys.

Microsoft Azure HBv3 virtual machines (VMs) have now been fully upgraded to third generation AMD EPYC with AMD 3D V-Cache technology. 

http://www.amd.com