TU Dresden Realized 28nm Low Power Test Chip with Tensilica Processor and RacyICs Power Management in GLOBALFOUNDRIES Process
Dresden, GERMANY â February 4, 2013 âTechnische Universität (TU) Dresden, a leading German university in the field of electrical engineering, today announced the successful initial operation of a low-power test-chip featuring a Tensilica Xtensa LX4 DSP equipped with RacyICs power management IP implemented in GLOBALFOUNDRIESâ advanced 28nm Super Low Power (SLP) technology. The chip is able to operate in a wide voltage and frequency range from 0.7V to 1.1V and 90 MHz to 1 GHz. Within that range, the optimal voltage/frequency combination is determined adaptively based on a new hardware performance monitor concept. The complete baseline IP (standard cell libraries, IO cells, SRAM blocks, PLL) was developed by the university team, who also did logic synthesis, place and route and sign-off of the test-chip.
âOur ability to successfully realize microchips in advanced technologies is a result of a long- term strategy to build an experienced team, which covers all aspects of analog, digital and mixed-signal IC design.â stated Professor René Schüffny, TU Dresden. âThis accumulated engineering competence is one key enabler for TU Dresdenâs leading-edge research in the field of complex systems based on advanced electronics.â
The chip has been developed within the frame of the CoolRF28 project. This project is part of the Leading-Edge Cluster âCool Siliconâ, which is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the scope of its Leading-Edge Cluster Competition. In the âCool Siliconâ cluster, universities, research institutes, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and big corporations closely cooperate in numerous projects on the next generation of energy-efficient electronics.
âWeâre very impressed by the high research and engineering competence of the TU Dresden team,â stated Frank Dresig, GLOBALFOUNDRIESâ European Field Engineering Manager. âThe chip directly shows the capabilities of our advanced 28nm SLP process for implementation of ultra low-power SoCs for consumer applications.â
The test-chipâs power management is based on an IP for adaptive voltage and frequency scaling provided by RacyICs, a start-up company offering design and implementation services.
âThe close cooperation with TU Dresden and GLOBALFOUNDRIES helps us to develop world-class services and IP products in advanced technology nodes,â stated Holger Eisenreich, RacyICsâ Managing Director. âBecause of high risks and costs, it is almost impossible for SMEs to enter this market without such cooperation.â
With assistance from Tensilica, the university team integrated an Xtensa LX4 DSP core to demonstrate the overall power reduction benefits from the combination of a 28nm low power technology, adaptive power management and an advanced processor IP core.
"Tensilica has had a long-standing relationship with the researchers at TU Dresden and congratulates them on this successful design effort," stated Chris Rowen, Tensilca's CTO. "Tensilica's Xtensa processor is a fundamental building block in TU Dresden's wireless communications architecture, and we are working together to proliferate know-how on configurable architectures to the worldwide design community."
About Technische Universität Dresden
Founded in 1828, Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden) is a full-scale university with 14 faculties, covering a wide range of fields in science and engineering, humanities, social sciences and medicine. TU Dresden has about 36,500 students and almost 5,319 employees with 507 professors among them, and thus is the largest university in Saxony today. Since June 2012 TU Dresden is one of eleven German universities that were identified as "excellence universities". One of the strategic research directions are driven within the Clusters of Excellence, Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfAED). Furthermore, TU Dresden's emphasis on applications in both teaching and research has been honored by leading industrial companies with currently fourteen endowed chairs.
About RacyICs
RacyICs GmbH offers SoC design, verification and implementation services in leading edge CMOS-technologies down to 28nm feature size. RacyICs addresses low power requirements of these systems by providing concepts and IP for advanced on-chip power management features and by application of innovative power analysis and optimization methodologies during design stage. For more information, visit www.racyics.com.
About Tensilica
Tensilica, Inc. is the leader in dataplane processor IP cores, with over 200 licensees. Dataplane processors (DPUs) combine the best capabilities of DSPs and CPUs while delivering 10 to 100x the performance because they can be optimized using Tensilicaâs automated design tools to meet specific and demanding signal processing performance targets. Tensilicaâs DPUs power SOC designs at system OEMs and seven out of the top 10 semiconductor companies for designs in mobile wireless, telecom and network infrastructure, computing and storage, and home and auto entertainment. Tensilica offers standard cores and hardware/software solutions that can be used as is or easily customized by semiconductor companies and OEMs for added differentiation. For more information on Tensilicaâs patented, benchmark-proven DPUs visit www.tensilica.com.
Related Semiconductor IP
- 5G IoT DSP
- 5G RAN DSP
- 512-bit Vector DSP IP, Single Core with Functional Safety
- 512-bit Vector DSP IP, Quad Core with Functional Safety
- 512-bit Vector DSP IP, Dual Core with Functional Safety
Related News
- Espressif Systems Internet of Things WiFi Chips Employ Cadence Tensilica Xtensa Low-Power Processor for Control and DSP
- MegaChips Utilizes Cadence Tensilica Xtensa Processor in Ultra-Low Power Internet of Things Sensor Hub IC
- Epson Improves GPS Watch Battery Life with Cadence Tensilica Xtensa Processor
- Cadence Announces New Tensilica Vision P6 DSP Targeting Embedded Neural Network Applications
Latest News
- Premier ASIC and SoC Design Partner, Sondrel, Rebrands as Aion Silicon
- Intel Financial Risks, Layoffs, Foundry Ambitions
- BOS Semiconductors to Partner with Intel to Accelerate Automotive AI Innovation
- China Takes the Lead in RF Front-End Patent Activity: RadRock and Others Surge Behind Murata
- Arteris Wins Two Gold and One Silver Stevie® Awards in the 2025 American Business Awards®