Sonics announces support for AMBA 4 spec

MILPITAS, USA: Sonics Inc. announced that its on-chip communications solutions will support phase one of the new AMBA 4 protocol unveiled this week by ARM.

This ensures that chip designers who currently use the AMBA 3 specification will have an easy migration path to AMBA 4 products as design upgrades are rolled out. ARM indicates further enhancements to the specification will be available later this year.

Sonics is a premier supplier of intelligent on-chip communications solutions and helps designers eliminate memory bottlenecks and network challenges in complex, multi-layer embedded designs—including those found in mobile broadband, digital entertainment, home networking, wireless and automotive applications. Sonics’ products provide support for AMBA protocols, including AMBA 3 AXI, AHB and APB.

The new AMBA 4 specification provides increased functionality for media-rich, on-chip communications, broadening its applicability for bandwidth-intense SoCs. The specification maximizes performance and power efficiency for complex designs.

“It’s important to ARM to have early adopters, such as Sonics, show their support for the new AMBA 4 specification,” said Mike Dimelow, Director of Marketing, Processor Division, ARM. “Partners like Sonics are important in enabling the rapid adoption of AMBA 4 to the benefit of all designers. Their support will help ensure that AMBA remains the de facto standard for on-chip communications for the foreseeable future.”

“We want to give designers peace of mind that AMBA 4 specification-compatible products will be available when they need them as they set their next-generation design initiatives,” said Jack Browne, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Sonics. “It was natural for Sonics to partner with ARM to offer early support for such a critical design standard.”