Archive : 27 October 2018 год

Cadence Design Systems has unveiled the industry’s first silicon-proven, long-reach 112G SerDes IP in 7nm.

According to Cadence the IP delivers the power, performance and area (PPA) efficiency required to build high-port density networking products for next-generation cloud-scale and telco datacentres.

Cadence has been working closely with early adopter customers, who have expressed strong interest in this technology and is now ready to engage broadly with customers to enable their next-generation high-performance computing (HPC) ASICs, machine learning accelerators, and switch fabric SoCs.

Escalating mobile data consumption and emerging 5G communications requirements are among a growing number of technical trends that are demanding ever-increasing bandwidth, straining the existing cloud datacentre server, storage and networking infrastructure.
Early adopters are now installing 400G Ethernet ports, with 400G Ethernet expected to go mainstream in 2020 as early adopters begin 800G Ethernet deployment. 112G SerDes technology doubles the data rate of 56G SerDes, meeting the need for high-speed connectivity being driven by emerging data-intensive applications such as machine learning and neural networks.
Based on technology gained from Cadence’s 2017 acquisition of nusemi, the long-reach 112G SerDes supports backplane, copper and optical connections. Among its benefits are:

• Unique firmware-controlled adaptive power design provides optimal power and performance trade=offs and more efficient system designs based on platform requirements
• DSP-based architecture provides superior data recovery for lossy and noisy channels
• Extended reach capability enables customers to use lower cost PCBs and achieve greater flexibility in PCB and system design
• Multi-rate support, including 112/56Gbps PAM-4 (four-level pulse amplitude modulation) and 56/28/10Gbps NRZ (non-return-to-zero) data rate, provides backward compatibility with legacy equipment operating at lower speeds
• Fully autonomous start-up and adaptation, as well as an integrated BIST (built-in self-test) capable of producing and checking PRBS (pseudo random binary sequence), are supported to enhance IP ease of use,

“The 112G SerDes is a new and critical enabling technology that allows the industry to build out the next-generation 100G, 400G and 800G Ethernet cloud infrastructure more rapidly and cost effectively,” said Lip-Bu Tan, chief executive officer of Cadence. “Our silicon-proven 112G long-reach multi-rate SerDes IP places Cadence at the forefront of high-performance computing system design enablement. By enabling 100Gb/sec per lane, Cadence’s solution reduces the lane count, heat dissipation and cost required to build the next generation of hyperscale infrastructure.”

Author
Neil Tyler

Source: www.newelectronics.co.uk

UltraSoC and ResilTech have announced a collaboration that brings together their expertise and technologies to help further the functional safety compliance of automotive systems, focusing particularly on the ISO26262 standard.

UltraSoC’s embedded analytics technology provides a powerful platform for developers who need to verify and validate the security and functional safety of their products, and to incorporate hardware-supported safety and security features such as anomaly detection and prevention of malicious intrusion.

ResilTech has significant experience in the design and validation of high integrity critical systems and in supporting companies to deliver products compliant to the most challenging safety standards, particularly for automotive applications. By working together, the two companies will look to simplify and improve designers’ understanding, deployment, and compliance with ISO26262 and other automotive safety standards.

The collaboration will also assist in defining and supporting implementation of security requirements in line with the SAE J3061 automotive cybersecurity standard, especially when it is necessary to evaluate and assess trade-offs between safety and security. J3061 assigns security levels to subsystems with different degrees of criticality. The standard calls for the monitoring and control of security though the entire product lifecycle from development and into usage in the field including the ability to monitor incidents and attempts to penetrate the system and to report such events.

UltraSoC’s embedded analytics improves verification and validation during automotive system development; and it can be used in deployed products to spot errors, enabling improved levels of safety and security functionality, and allowing in-field system health monitoring and advanced forensics. The company's analytics infrastructure works in real-time, is independent of the main system and is non-intrusive. Embedded analytics also provides information and analysis, allowing designers to more easily satisfy the functional safety, risk assessment, testing, reporting and traceability requirements of standards such as ISO26262, SAE J3061, IEC 61508, EN50126/8/9 and CE 402/2013.

ResilTech SRL specialises in resilient computing for critical systems including automotive applications. It supports designers and companies developing hardware and/or software architectures and provides software components for safety relevant applications to be embedded at component or at system level. The company also holds a solid background in product and system verification and validation according to latest quality, safety and security standards.

UltraSoC’s architecture includes features specifically optimised for improving automotive safety and security, including a lock-step monitor which checks for consistency between redundant modules; and Bare Metal Security (BMS), giving a hardware-based level of security “below the operating system”. BMS is extremely difficult for an attacker to detect or subvert, and supports the requirements of SAE J3061.

Author
Neil Tyler

Source: www.newelectronics.co.uk

Qualcomm has extended its QTM052 mmWave antenna module family of fully-integrated 5G NR millimetre wave (mmWave) modules for smartphones and other mobile devices with its smallest additions yet.

Compared with the first set of modules announced in July 2018, the latest mmWave antenna modules are 25 percent smaller and engineered to enable mobile device manufacturers to address stringent mobile handset size requirements for 5G NR smartphones and mobile devices expected to launch next year.

According to Qualcomm, the modules will provide OEMs with more options for antenna placement, offering more freedom and flexibility in their 5G mmWave designs.

The QTM052 mmWave antenna modules pair with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G modem to help address the challenges associated with mmWave. They feature a phased antenna array design in a small footprint, suitable for integrating up to four modules in a smartphone form factor. The modules support advanced beam forming, beam steering, and beam tracking technologies, designed to improve the range and reliability of mmWave signals. They also include an integrated 5G NR radio transceiver, power management IC, RF front-end components and phased antenna array, as well as support up to 800 MHz of bandwidth in the 26.5-29.5 GHz (n257), 27.5-28.35 (n261), and 37-40 GHz (n260) mmWave bands.

Author
Bethan Grylls

Source: www.newelectronics.co.uk

Infineon Technologies says it is enabling a “crucial” step toward greater cybersecurity in the connected car, as the world’s first semiconductor manufacturer to put a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) specifically for automotive applications on the market.

The OPTIGA TPM 2.0 is designed to protect communication between the car manufacturer and the vehicle which increasingly turns into a computer on wheels.

Mobility of the future requires the exchange of huge volumes of data. Cars send real-time traffic information to the cloud or receive updates from the manufacturer “over the air”, for example to update software quickly and in a cost-effective manner. The senders and recipients of that data, whether car makers or individual components in the car, require cryptographic security keys to authenticate themselves.

By using TPM, Infineon says car manufacturers can incorporate sensitive security keys for assigning access rights, authentication and data encryption in the car in a protected way. The TPM can also be updated so that the level of security can be kept up to date throughout the vehicle’s service life. The critical keys are particularly protected against logical and physical attacks in the OPTIGA TPM as if they were in a safe.

Furthermore, incorporating the first or initial key into the vehicle is a particularly sensitive moment for car makers. When the TPM is used, this step can be carried out in Infineon’s certified production environment. After that, the keys are protected against unauthorised access; there is no need for further special security precautions throughout the various stages of the – often globally distributed – value chain.

The TPM likewise generates, stores and administers further security keys for communication within the vehicle. And it is also used to detect faulty or manipulated software and components in the vehicle and initiate troubleshooting by the manufacturer in such a case.

Whereas a vehicle has an average service life time of 12 to 15 years, security features and algorithms keep on being developed and enhanced on a continuous basis. The TPM’s firmware can be updated by remote access so the security it offers can be kept up-to-date – including the cryptographic mechanisms (cryptoagility).

The OPTIGA TPM 2.0 SLI 9670 from Infineon is a plug & play solution for automotive applications. It is especially suited for use in a central gateway, the telematics unit or the infotainment system of the vehicle.

The SLI 9670 consists of an attack-resistant security chip and high-performance firmware developed in accordance with the latest security standard. The firmware enables immediate use of security features, such as encryption, decryption, signing and verification.

According to Infineon, the TPM can be integrated quickly and easily in the system thanks to the open source software stack (TSS stack) for the host processor, which is also provided by Infineon. It has an SPI interface, an extended temperature range from -40°C to 105°C and the advanced encryption algorithms RSA-2048, ECC-256 and SHA-256.

The new TPM complies with the internationally acknowledged Trusted Computing Group TPM 2.0 standard, is certified for security according to Common Criteria and is qualified in accordance with the automotive standard AEC-Q100. It is available now available and manufactured in security-certified production facilities of Infineon Germany and the Philippines.

Author
Bethan Grylls

Source: www.newelectronics.co.uk

Qualcomm has revealed that its Quick Charge technology is now at the core of more than 1000 mobile devices, accessories and controllers.

After four generations, the Quick Charge technology’s growing ecosystem consists of more than 200 compatible mobile devices, 700 accessories and 100 controllers. On the device side this ecosystem means consumers have greater fast charging options when choosing their next smartphone, VR headset, wireless speaker, camera, power bank and more. For charging accessories, consumers have a variety of wall and car chargers, battery banks, USB hubs, and others to choose from.

“Consumers continue to demand more and more battery life out of their devices. When it’s time to recharge, Qualcomm Quick Charge technology can charge almost any mobile device whether it supports Quick Charge or not,”said Alex Katouzian, senior vice president and general manager, mobile, Qualcomm.

On the mobile device side, Qualcomm Technologies’ latest fast charging solution, Quick Charge 4+, includes improved Dual Charge, intelligent thermal balancing and additional layers of advanced safety features. Quick Charge 4 is designed to provide a superior charging solution by delivering up to 50% power charge in roughly 15 minutes or less (Qualcomm notes that actual results may vary depending on device design). With these new features incorporated into a device and the charger, Quick Charge 4+ can charge up to 15% faster or 30% more efficiently than Quick Charge 4.

Through further advancements in the method for delivering power, Qualcomm says mobile devices that employ Quick Charge with Dual Charge technology can reach up to 97% efficiency, which translates to less power being lost during the charging process, energy savings and reduction of the heat generated within the device. Additionally, Quick Charge 4+ now incorporates a new battery sensing technology that directly measures the voltage of the battery cell and allows the system to have a more accurate view of the battery’s current state, so they can stay in high current charging for longer, in order to further reduce charge times.

Quick Charge 4+ also supports USB Power Delivery (USB PD) as its primary signaling method, allowing it to offer a “one charging solution for all” experience. This means that chargers equipped with Quick Charge 4+ are designed to enable devices to be charged with or without Quick Charge technology or Qualcomm Snapdragon architecture inside them.

Author
Bethan Grylls

Source: www.newelectronics.co.uk