Chipidea Launches New Line of CMOS Radio Frequency IP Platforms; Receiver Designs Target High-Volume GPS and DVB-H Applications That Require Ultra-Low Power Consumption, Small Area.

LISBON, Portugal -- Chipidea(R), the world leader in analog/mixed-signal merchant technology, today announced the expansion of its radio frequency (RF) intellectual property (IP) line with the release of two new cores designed to speed the development of video-enabled handheld appliances and personal navigation devices.

The company's two new full CMOS RF platforms - a Digital Video Broadcast - Handheld (DVB-H) tuner that enables the delivery of DVD-quality video and audio to handheld devices; and a highly integrated receiver for handheld Global Positioning Systems (GPS) - are fully optimized system solutions covering RF and mixed signal in a unique solution, offering SoC designs higher integration, smaller footprints, lower power consumption and massive time-to-market advantages compared to traditional in-house designs.

"As the coming generations of cell phones and wireless networks promise more sophisticated functionality for consumers, demand for applications in RF is rising rapidly," said Rich Wawrzyniak, of market researcher Semico Research Corp. "Chipidea is coming to the market at precisely the right time with IP that is bristling with feature sets in line with these growth areas. Integration of RF IP is a very challenging area and Chipidea is known for helping customers tackle integration challenges. There's every reason to believe Chipidea can be a market leader in the RF segment just as they have been in the Analog IP market."

DVB-H Mobile TV Tuner

Chipidea's Mobile TV Tuner IP Platform enables full-band support with three separate inputs: VHF Band III (176-245 MHz), UHF band IV and V (470-870 MHz) and L-band (1.450-1.685 GHz). It also supports the DVB-H, DMB and ISDB-T standards. This open platform eases design integration with a zero-IF architecture and no external filters are required. With very low current consumption and an extremely small chip area this platform is ideal for portable consumer electronics where cost and battery life are paramount. With the first generation design already proven in silicon, the new DVB-H open platform with advanced features and architecture is now available. Additional information on Chipidea's DVB -H Mobile TV Tuner IP Platform can be found online at www.chipidea.com/website/products/ip/downloaddocument.do?id=22648

GPS and Galileo Receiver

The company's GPS IP is a highly integrated receiver for GPS L1 band. The low-IF architecture requires no external IF filters and an LNA is included. Its low current consumption and its small chip area give this IP core an attractive profile for chip design teams targeting the consumer portable device market. The first generation of this IP is in silicon. A new generation is also in the design phase incorporating a more flexible topology to support both Galileo and Glonass. In addition to the consumer applications, Chipidea also offers a professional multi-band version for full-featured Galileo that is now in fabrication. Additional information on Chipidea's GPS and Galileo Receiver solution can be found online at: www.chipidea.com/website/products/ip/downloaddocument.do?id=22647

"With best-in-class power consumption and size, our new DVB-H and GPS platforms offer the first-time-right design success and the engineer-to-engineer contact that allow our customers to get to market quickly," said Carlos Azeredo Leme, CTO and co-founder for Chipidea. "These two new platforms mark the beginning of an extensive set of offerings in the RF space from Chipidea providing our customers a complete RF subsystem portfolio. By combining our RF IP to our broad Mixed-Signal portfolio and expertise, we support customers that require aggressive complete solutions and optimum partitioning between the RF chip and the digital processor chip, leveraging our customer's roadmaps for embedded RF IP within nanometer SoCs."

Chipidea plans to expand its IP offerings to include complete packages of RF solutions for Ultra Wide Band RF front ends, wireless sensor networks, and embedded transceivers in nanometer SoCs.

Chipidea's RF Design Team

Chipidea's RF design team develops a wide variety of solutions that offer high integration, broad functionality, small footprints and low power consumption for wide range of RF applications. With more than 20 engineers specializing in RF design, Chipidea's team has built a solid reputation in the industry, having delivered a wide range of silicon-proven IP (both custom and standards-based), including complete frequency-shift keying (FSK) radios and RF transceivers in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.

"Chipidea's RF design team is comprised of a tremendously dedicated group of professionals who are willing to do what it takes to see that the integration process is successful all the way through to system validation," said Bruno Baylac, director of consumer and industrial marketing for the Transportation and Standard Products Group of Freescale Semiconductor. "Now that this team has expanded its offering in the RF area, ASIC and SoC designers have a powerful IP solution at their disposal, helping increase their chances of success when bringing a design into high-volume production. I've worked with Chipidea's radio frequency IP for various projects. In my opinion, the company's high-quality cores and dedication to seeing a project through to completion is unparalleled among analog-mixed signal IP providers."

About Chipidea

Chipidea is the world's number one analog/mixed-signal merchant technology supplier targeting fast-growing market segments like wireless communications, digital media and consumer electronics. Chipidea supports blue-chip customers across the globe, has an impeccable reputation for delivering high-quality products and is known for its reliable execution. Chipidea licenses its technology to leading companies in these and other key markets, delivering everything from precision single-function blocks to full analog sub-systems. Chipidea employs more than 230 people in its research and development, and sales and marketing offices across Europe, Asia and North America.