Synopsys and Arm push on with next-gen mobile SoC designs

Synopsys combines EDA and IP with Arm’s Total Compute Solutions at Computex Taipei. The AI-enhanced design collaboration tackles mobile chip designs on advanced nodes down to 2nm. At the show, Synopsys announced Synopsys.ai full-stack AI-driven EDA suite, Synopsys Interface and Security IP and Synopsys Silicon Lifecycle Management PVT IP have been optimised for the highest levels of performance and power for Arm’s latest compute platform

These advancements continue the decades of collaboration between the two companies to accelerate customers’ delivery of Arm-based SoCs for smartphones and VR / AR applications.

Shankar Krishnamoorthy, general manager of Synopsys EDA group, commented: “Collaborating with Arm to optimise our EDA and IP solutions enables mutual customers to tackle some of the toughest multi-die system integration challenges from design, IP integration and verification to software development. The addition of the Synopsys.ai EDA suite starts a new phase, where co-operative keystone companies, like Synopsys and Arm, align expertise to help mutual customers turbo-charge the delivery of their Arm-based SoC designs.”

Arm announced its Total Compute Solutions 2023 (TCS23) platform at the show in Taipei. “The new TCS23 platform delivers a suite of segment-specific technology, designed with the system in mind, so that our customers can tap into the compute performance required for the next generation of visual computing experiences,” said Chris Bergey, senior vice president and general manager, client line of business, at Arm.

For TCS23, the Synopsys.ai full-stack AI-driven EDA suite leverages the power of AI from system architecture through manufacturing to optimise power, performance and area (PPA) and enhance time to market, said the company.

The Synopsys Verification family accelerates architecture exploration, software development and verification throughput for Arm SoCs containing Arm Cortex-X4, Cortex-A720 and Cortex-A520 CPUs and Immortalis-G720 and Mali-G720 GPUs. 

Early adopters of TCS23 are using Synopsys virtual prototypes with Arm Fast Models, Synopsys hardware-assisted verification and verification IP for the latest Arm AMBA interconnect to deliver SoCs to market faster.

Synopsys Interface and Security IP for PCI Express 6.0 with Integrity and Data Encryption (IDE), CXL 3.0 with IDE, DDR5 with Inline Memory Encryption (IME) and UCIe, are all optimised for performance with Arm-specific features and for pre-silicon interoperability with Arm cores to minimise risk and to accelerate time to market.

The Synopsys Silicon Lifecycle Management Family PVT monitor IP can be integrated into Arm cores to monitor chip health from development to the field to measure and optimise performance.

Synopsys Fusion QuickStart Implementation Kits (QIKs) are tuned to extract maximum entitlement from the latest five, four and 3nm process technologies. They provide the most efficient path to realising optimally scaled compute architectures for the most demanding end-user applications, said the company.

Synopsys QIKs include implementation scripts and reference guides that enable early adopters of the newest Armv9.2 cores to accelerate time to market and achieve their demanding performance per Watt targets. These QIKs are available today by request through the Arm support hub or from Synopsys SolvNet.

Synopsys also incorporates the latest Arm Fast Models for virtual prototypes and delivers verification IP for the latest Arm AMBA interconnect, emulation and prototyping hardware to accelerate hardware-software bring-up and power and performance validation, resulting in shorter time to market.

Synopsys IP for PCI Express 6.0 with IDE, CXL 3.0 with IDE, DDR5 with IME and UCIe are available now.

http://www.synopsys.com 

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Compact, low power RF sensors detect position and passenger movement

RF ranging sensors for automotive applications in the SC1260 series use the 60GHz frequency band. Socionext has also integrated time division multiplexing (TDM-MIMO) operation with multiple transmitting and receiving antennas to detect the position and movement of passengers in a vehicle with maximum accuracy.

The SC1260 incorporates antennas and radar signal operation circuits for maximum detection accuracy in a low power, compact package. The sensors use a wide band of 6.8GHz (57.1 to 63.9GHz), TDM-MIMO and built-in radar signal operation circuits for range-finding and angle calculation.

TDM-MIMO operation enables high-precision sensing, such as the detection of passengers when three people are sitting in a row inside the vehicle, added Socionext.

The sensors are claimed to enable easy acquisition of 3D position information without requiring advanced expertise in high frequency devices and signal operation. Each sensor combines antennas, RF circuits, ADCs, FIFO memory, an SPI and intelligent power control sequencer for flexible duty cycle control. The sensor requires only 0.72mW at 0.1 per cent duty cycle operation.

The sensors are suitable for a range of automotive applications, such as tracking the position and movements of passengers in a vehicle while suppressing the load on the vehicle battery when the engine is off, said Socionext.

The SC1260 series complies with the global broadband 60GHz radio equipment standard. Sample and evaluation kit shipments are scheduled for June, with production volumes to be available in Q1 2024.

The company is believed to be the first to develop compact, low power 60GHz RF ranging sensors with built-in radar signal operation circuits for range-finding and angle calculations. It used its experience and knowledge accumulated through the development of millimeter-frequency wireless communication ICS and 24GHz radio-frequency ranging sensors, observed Teruaki Hasegawa, head of Socionext’s IoT & radar sensing business unit.

The sensor is supplied in a FC-BGA with dimensions of 6.0 x 9.0 x 1.2mm.

Socionext Europe is a fabless SoC supplier. Its headquarters is in Frankfurt, Germany with offices in Munich, Germany and Maidenhead, UK. 

The Munich Design and Support Centre, specialises in hardware and software product development for the automotive sector. Maidenhead supports Socionext’s IP Development & Engineering Centre with a focus on high speed data conversion IP. 

https://www.socionext.com/en/

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Edge sensors in AMD’s Artix UltraScale+ family are ADAS-optimised

Addressing market needs for faster signal processing and smaller form factors in systems using edge sensors, such as lidar, radar and 3D surround-view camera systems, AMD has added two edge sensors to its Automotive XA Artix UltraScale+ family.

The XA AU10P and XA AU15P processors are cost-optimised processors, which is a requirement in the consumer driven automotive market. They are automotive-qualified and optimised for use in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) sensor applications. The Artix UltraScale+ devices join the automotive-grade Spartan 7, Zynq 7000 and Zynq UltraScale+ product families. 

The XA Artix FPGAs are shipping now. They offer high serial bandwidth and signal compute density in an compact form factor. The Artix UltraScale+ devices maximise system performance via DSP bandwidth for cost-sensitive and low-power ADAS edge applications including networking, vision and video processing and secure connectivity. 

XA Artix UltraScale+ processors are certified for functional safety up to ASIL-B, which is critical for automotive ADAS sensors from cameras to lidar systems, said AMD, for use in vehicles and robotaxis, for example.

“As automotive systems have grown in complexity, safety is more critical than ever before with automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers requiring ASIL-B certification for LiDAR, radar and smart edge sensor applications,” said Ian Riches, vice president, global automotive practice, TechInsights. 

Automotive designers can use XA Artix UltraScale+ devices for sensor fusion, bringing in data from multiple edge sensors and performing image and video processing before porting it to an external SoC. The new XA Artix UltraScale+ devices can also be connected to multiple displays in the vehicle to enhance infotainment features, advised AMD.

http://www.xilinx.com 

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Microchip extends rad-tolerant GbE PHYs with copper and fibre support

Support for both copper and fibre interfaces is provided by the VSC8574RT PHY, the latest addition to Microchip’s radiation-tolerant family of Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) PHYs.

To streamline the implementation of Ethernet for aerospace and defence customers, Microchip Technology has created the VSC8574RT PHY which supports the Serial Gigabit Media Independent Interface (SGMII) and Quad Serial Gigabit Media-Independent Interface (QSGMII) to reduce the overall signal pins in the design and free up the host device.

The VSC8574RT Ethernet PHY builds on Microchip’s commercial off the shelf (COTS) -based devices, allowing customers to begin developing applications using the COTS version and substitute a radiation-tolerant version device for the final mission. 

Being compatible with both copper and fibre interfaces makes new application use cases possible, said Microchip. Although copper is primarily used in today’s design, the fibre interface is expected to be specified more as the industry requires data rates exceeding 1Gbit. 

The VSC8574RT PHY is equipped with a quad port to support 10, 100 and 1000BASE-T Ethernet connections for optimal speed and reach, depending on the device requirements. The PHY also has advanced features, such as Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE) and IEEE 1588v2 Precision Time Protocol (PTP), for network timing and synchronisation in applications requiring highly precise timing. 

The VSC8574RT specifications include single event latch-up immunity above 78MeV.cm²/mg and total ionising dose tested up to 100krad. It is applicable for projects from low earth orbit (LEO) to deep space.

“The VSC8574RT PHY with advanced timing features provides our customers with a connectivity solution for deterministic real-time applications,” said Bob Vampola, vice president of Microchip’s aerospace and defence business unit.

Available in limited sampling upon request, it joins Microchip’s VSC8541RT and VSC8540RT COTS-based GbE PHY devices. 

Microchip also offers support in the form of the VSC8574-EV evaluation board for the user to evaluate the device in multiple configurations.

http://www.microchip.com

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