Arasan Chip Systems announces e-MMC 4.4 card controller IP core

SAN JOSE, USA: Arasan Chip Systems Inc., a leading provider of Intellectual Property (IP) cores, announced the availability of the Embedded MultiMedia 4.4 Card Controller IP compliant with the recently ratified JEDEC e-MMC 4.4 standard.

Arasan's e-MMC 4.4 Card Controller enables memory card designers to support the higher bandwidth and new security, card partition features offered by e-MMC 4.4.

e-MMC 4.4 has a peak bandwidth of 104MBps. It incorporates multiple modes for data security including a secure partition accessible only with a pre-assigned security key.

The standard also permits Hosts to partition and manage card memory. e-MMC 4.4 cards support multiple boot modes that simplify system design. The boot partition can be configured for enhanced operation to lower BOM costs by eliminating an extra chip for boot code. These features make e-MMC 4.4 the preferred solution for emerging mobile platforms.

"The increasing features and complexity of mobile systems is driving designers to use e-MMC 4.4 to securely access boot code and manage user data," said Somnath Viswanath, Product Marketing Manager at Arasan.

"Designers incorporating Arasan's e-MMC 4.4 Card Controller can leverage its new features and get a head start in their card development so as to be the first in the market with e-MMC 4.4 cards."

Arasan's e-MMC 4.4 IP core is backward compatible with the prior 4.3 standard. The core supports all e-MMC 4.4 security mechanisms such as a replay protected memory block, password based, power-on, temporary or permanent write protection.

Arasan's e-MMC 4.4 IP supports Secure Trim and Erase operation that guarantee data deletion. A dedicated hardware reset pin provides easy initialization of the card.

The e-MMC 4.4 card can be configured with multiple memory partitions, each with a different performance and endurance parameter tuned to support Host access of data or boot code. The e-MMC 4.4 Card Controller IP can be used to design embedded or removable non-volatile storage.

Arasan provides a "Total IP Solution" for its e-MMC 4.4 Card Controller IP which consists of RTL code, synthesis scripts, test environment and detailed documentation all backed by World-class customer support.