Developers of UWB products would benefit from strategically planning for IP Reuse
Reuse is often applied retrospectively and that can make it more complex, expensive, and time consuming than it otherwise needs to be. We help customers to benefit from reuse at any stage of product’s evolution and its migration to different technologies, nodes. But the fact is it is easier for you, the developer if it is part of a well-planned IP reuse design strategy and built into a long-term roadmap.
At the #IPSoC event last week, we saw the interest in Ultrawideband (UWB) – not a new technology – it’s been waiting in the wings for many years…but it is now starting to show its true potential. The U1 Apple chip released with some of its iPhones in 2019, includes UWB. And that’s always going to make the rest of the industry wonder if they should follow suit.
UWB is higher-frequency and broad spectrum radio technology. Its spatial awareness capabilities makes the radio ideal for applications in the Internet of Things, but now that the technology is suitable for portable, battery-powered devices, also high-speed large file transfer between devices. Automotive, industry 4.0, track and trace. There are plenty of market opportunities ripe for applying UWB.
As a leader in the wireless IP market, CEVA took the opportunity of its presence at IP SoC to present its UWB solution. The company did make clear that UWB brings with it technical issues that need to be overcome in the mixed-signal domain: it has a complex Physical layer (PHY), meaning ADC sampling happens at a high rate (1-2 GHz). Power also needs to be carefully managed.
So what’s the message here? If you’re thinking about designing with UWB, it’s safe to say that you are developing the first of a long line of products benefitting from the radio technology. To guarantee maximum performance in all iterations, whatever the process technology or node, it’s important that you plan-ahead for your IP reuse.
Thalia’s AMALIA suite of IP reuse tools is designed to make the task easy and to help you maximise the cost-effectiveness while maximising product quality and ease-of-design from one generation to the next. AMALIA helps you build long term value into your product portfolio.
To view the Thalia and Sofics IP SoC presentation and to watch the interview with Thalia CEO and Gabriele Saucer of Design and Reuse click here
