Arasan Chip Systems first to announce SDIO 3.0 device controller IP

SAN JOSE, USA: Arasan Chip Systems Inc., a leading provider of Intellectual Property (IP) Cores, announced the availability of the world's first Secure Digital IO (SDIO) 3.0 Device Controller IP compliant with the latest SDIO Specification v3.0.

The higher bandwidth supported by SDIO v3.0 enables faster data transfers resulting in a crisper user experience in mobile platforms.

The SDIO 3.0 Device Controller supports a peak bandwidth of 832 Mbps (UHS-I) which is four times higher than the previous generation of SDIO v2.0. The rapid rise in popularity of smartphones, PDAs and Netbooks that integrate significant multimedia capabilities has in-turn increased the need for high-speed connectivity in these platforms.

However, due to regional differences and physical constraints, it is not possible for the host processor in these platforms to support multiple multimedia, cellular or wireless standards such as HD/Graphics accelerators, WiFi (802.11), LTE, WiMax. Building upon the established base of SDIO cards, designers can now add support for new, higher performance functionality by integrating Arasan's SDIO 3.0 Device Controller IP.

"Arasan continues to expand its SD portfolio with the introduction of the SDIO 3.0 Device Controller IP," said Prakash Kamath, Vice-President of Engineering at Arasan. "Designers building high-performance I/O cards can leverage the higher bandwidth supported by the new SDIO 3.0 Device Controller IP to enhance the responsiveness and overall user experience of applications running on mobile platform."

"Mobile handset designers need to customize their platform to support suitable wireless and cellular standards," said Somnath Viswanath, Product Marketing Manager at Arasan. "By integrating Arasan's SDIO 3.0 Device Controller IP, designers can build cards that is used to tailor a mobile platform based on user preference and geographical factors".

Arasan's SDIO Device Controller IP supports all modes of UHS-I operation. The IP natively supports all standard SDIO commands. To reduce the processor overhead, a scatter gather DMA controller is integrated, to better handle data transfers. The host controller overhead is further reduced by an asynchronous interrupt mechanism.

To enhance the performance of multi-function SDIO devices, Arasan's SDIO Device Controller implements the suspend and resume commands to permit higher priority functions to pre-empt on-going card access. This controller can also be used to implement embedded SDIO chipsets that are used to customize a generic mobile platform.

Arasan provides a "Total IP Solution" for its SDIO 3.0 Device Controller IP Core including RTL source code, synthesis scripts, test environment and documentation, all backed by world-class customer support.