Toshiba Adds New Platform SoC To Its Custom SoC/ASIC Product Line

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 11, 2013  -- Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC)*, a committed leader that collaborates with technology companies to create breakthrough designs, today announces availability of a new Metal-Configurable Standard Cell (MCSC) platform SoC. The platform SoC employs an innovative MCSC architecture that speeds ASIC development for faster time-to-market at lower non-recurring engineering (NRE) costs, and enables footprint-compatible, low-cost FPGA replacement, and configurable and reusable platforms for standard product development. 

"This powerful platform technology completely changes the development landscape for next- generation SoCs by providing a viable alternative to high-cost, high-power FPGAs, or for traditional ASICs and ASSPs by significantly reducing the fixed-mask costs and time to volume," says Saba Sharifi, vice president of the Logic LSI Business Unit, System LSI Group at TAEC.  "It is an ideal solution for customers who need to deliver products that require customization, may have smaller volume requirements compared to traditional ASICs, need to make more frequent changes, or want to develop a platform family of products to address multiple market segments while avoiding large mask costs."

With the TAEC platform SoC, customers can rapidly create ASICs or ASSPs by minimizing customizable mask layers. The product uses 65nm process technology with 40nm and smaller processes in development.  The 65nm process supports up to 30 million raw gates, 20 Mbits DP memories, and up to 1200 I/Os.

Some of the other key features of the platform SoC include:

• 500+ core cell library
• Configurable FPGA-like memory with optimized size and performance
• Scalable technology for 28nm and smaller geometries
• Enhanced-cell architecture allowing for improved routability, power structure and area optimization
• Configurable I/Os, PLLs, DDR/LVDS PHYs and multi-protocol transceivers
• A wide variety of  packaging options to enable compatibility with existing FPGAs
• Design of multiple SoCs from one MCSC platform using the same EDA tools and methodologies as for ASICs

In September 2012, Toshiba reached a licensing agreement with BaySand, Inc., for its MCSC technology. Under the terms of the agreement, Toshiba is licensed to design, manufacture, market and distribute MCSC-based solutions.

Availability

Toshiba has completed the qualification of this process and is accepting new designs for the platform SoC technology. Samples are available with a minimum of five weeks from RTL to prototype.

About TAEC

Through proven commitment, lasting relationships and advanced, reliable electronic components, Toshiba enables its customers to create market-leading designs.  Toshiba is the heartbeat within product breakthroughs from OEMs, ODMs, CMs, VARs, distributors and fabless chip companies worldwide.  A committed electronic components leader, Toshiba designs and manufactures high-quality flash memory-based storage solutions, solid state drives (SSDs), hard disk drives (HDDs), discrete devices, advanced materials, medical tubes, custom SoCs/ASICs, imaging products, microcontrollers and wireless components that make possible today's leading smartphones, tablets, MP3 players, cameras, medical devices, automotive electronics, enterprise solutions and more.

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, Japan's largest semiconductor manufacturer and the world's fifth largest semiconductor manufacturer (Gartner, 2012 WW Semiconductor Preliminary Revenue Ranking, December, 2012). Toshiba Corporation was founded in 1875 and today has over 554 subsidiaries and affiliates, with 210,000 employees worldwide. Visit Toshiba's web site at www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm.