Week In Review: Design, Low Power

Ansys will acquire cloud simulation provider OnScale. OnScale’s technology will be used to provide a cloud-native, web-based UI for device-independent access to Ansys’ simulation technologies as well as creation of simulation-based vertical applications. “OnScale’s cloud-native technology combines the limitless compute power of cloud supercomputers with an intuitive web-based front end, making simulation accessible to anyone. Knowing that OnScale’s technology will now run simulations using Ansys’ industry-leading technology is incredibly exciting for me and my team. We are thrilled to be joining the Ansys family,” said Ian Campbell, CEO of OnScale. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Tools & IP
Cadence announced a new High-Speed Ethernet Controller IP family. It supports different aggregated bandwidths for 100G, 200G, 400G and 800G Ethernet and offers support for both single- and multi-Ethernet channel solutions; media access control (MAC), physical coding sublayer (PCS), forward error correction (FEC), and physical medium attachment (PMA) blocks; and integrated FEC support, including RS(528,514), RS(544,514), Firecode and Ethernet Technology Consortium Low Latency RS FEC. Along with Cadence SerDes PHY IP in 7nm, 5nm and 3nm process nodes, it can be used for a complete Ethernet subsystem. It is suited for a broad array of Ethernet applications in next-generation cloud, AI/ML, and 5G infrastructures.

Siemens Digital Industries Software’s mPower Digital solution for power integrity analysis of analog, digital and mixed-signal IC designs was certified for digital analysis of designs using GlobalFoundries’ platforms. Customers can request PDK support for any technology.

Keysight Technologies debuted a new Digital Wideband Transceiver test solution that can determine true radio frequency (RF) performance characteristics of mixed-digital RF devices. The test solution compares digital and RF signals between device input and output and measures the transmitter and receiver responses independent from other test instrumentation. It is comprised of an integrated microwave test engine for measuring amplifiers, mixers, frequency converters and other active devices; a configuration assistant that enables users to set up complex measurements for various types of devices; and a test waveform creator and configuration assistant that enables users to set up mixed-digital RF devices.

Memory
Infineon debuted a radiation-hardened (rad hard), serial interface Ferroelectric RAM (F-RAM) for extreme environments such as space. Aimed as a replacement for serial NOR flash and EEPROMs, the 2 Mb density F-RAM with SPI will be the first in a family of rad hard non-volatile F-RAMs. The devices have virtually infinite endurance with no wear leveling, with 10 trillion read/write cycles and 120 years data retention at 85°C, at an operating voltage range of 2.0 V to 3.6 V. The lowest operating current is 10 mA maximum, with an extreme low programming voltage of 2 V.

SK Hynix selected Keysight’s integrated PCIe 5.0 test platforms to speed the development of next generation DRAM and PCIe devices with Compute Express Link (CXL) high-speed memory interconnect technology.

Wireless, networking, data center
Ampere Computing is planning to go public and has filed a draft registration statement to the SEC. The number of shares and price range has not yet been determined. The company, which formed in 2018, develops 64-bit Arm server processors for hyperscale cloud and edge computing workloads.

Renesas Electronics introduced clock buffers and multiplexers for PCIe Gen6 with additive jitter specs of 4fs RMS to provide design margin for future requirements. They can be used with Renesas’ low-jitter 9SQ440, 9FGV1002 and 9FGV1006 clock generators for a complete PCIe Gen6 timing solution for data center/cloud computing, networking and high-speed industrial applications. They also support and provide extra margin for PCIe Gen5 implementations.

Comcores uncorked MACsec (Media Access Control Security) IP to provide Ethernet Layer 2 Security for data confidentiality and data integrity. It provides line-rate encryption, is configurable to support multiple Connectivity Associations (SecYs) for traffic differentiation, and supports VLAN-in-clear. It targets high-speed Ethernet used in 5G networks, industrial, automotive, and cloud.

Broadcom announced sample availability of its end-to-end chipset solutions for Wi-Fi 7. The new standard doubles Wi-Fi channel bandwidth compared to 6 and 6E with the introduction of 320 MHz channels. Products in the line target residential access points, enterprise access points, and Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5 combo chips for mobile handsets.

Tech Mahindra selected Keysight Open Radio Architect (KORA) solutions to certify 5G equipment of open radio access network (O-RAN) in a 5G O-RAN test lab facility located in New Jersey, USA. It will be used to validate the performance of 5G standalone O-RAN systems consisting of O-RAN radio units (O-RUs), centralized units (O-CUs) and distributed units (O-DUs).

Power devices
Infineon launched a new silicon carbide (SiC) chip, CoolSiC MOSFET 1200 V M1H, which will be available integrated in modules or as discrete packages. It features a maximum temporary junction temperature of 175°C to increase overload capability, enabling higher power density and coverage of failure events. It targets applications such as solar energy systems, fast EV charging, energy storage systems, and industrial.

Menlo Micro introduced a single-pole/four-throw (SP4T) DC-to-6 GHz switch that offers 25W power handling, ultra-low insertion loss of 0.2 dB at 3 GHz, and high linearity. Based on the company’s Ideal Switch technology, it targets 5G network infrastructure, test and measurement equipment, and other high-power RF switching applications.

Digital pen and tablet company Wacom used Renesas’ single-chip wireless power receiver IC in its Active ES pen.

Photonics
PhotonDelta received €1.1 billion (~$1.2 billion) in public and private investment to boost photonic chip development from the Netherland’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and other organizations. PhotonDelta is a cross-border ecosystem of photonic chip technology organizations. The funding is part of a six-year program to build 200 startups, scale up production, create new applications for photonic chips, and develop infrastructure and talent. “The Netherlands is considered a pioneer in the development of PIC technology, and thanks to the continuous support from the Dutch government, we have been able to build a full supply-chain around it that is globally recognized as a hotspot for photonic integration,” said Ewit Roos, CEO at PhotonDelta.

Automotive
Renesas released a virtual development environment to enable automotive software development before devices or evaluation boards are available. “With the evolution of E/E architecture, there is an increasing demand for software design that can maximize performance at a system level. At the same time, the increasing time and cost associated with software development have become a big challenge,” said Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Vice President, Automotive Software Development Division at Renesas. “Our integrated software development environment that can be used across gateway systems, ADAS, and xEV development, enables customers to benefit from the scalability of Renesas products such as R-Car and the RH850 family for both software and hardware development.”

Read more news at Manufacturing, Test and Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing.

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