Renesas Electronics receives USB-IF certification for USB 3.0-SATA3 bridge SoC

TOKYO, JAPAN: Renesas Electronics Corp. announced that its SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) SATA3 bridge system-on-chip (SoC), part number, μPD720230, has passed the certification testing by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF). Renesas also announced that AMD has tested and verified chipset compatibility with Renesas’ performance-enhancing UASP software for external storage devices.

USB 3.0 achieves data transfer speeds that are up to 10 times faster than the previous version of the standard, enabling more rapid and efficient transfers of data to and from external storage devices. Renesas has led the industry by introducing the world’s first USB 3.0 host controller in May 2009, and the company’s lineup of USB 3.0 host controllers has been broadly adopted by customers worldwide with total shipments already exceeding 450 million units.

USB is the most successful interface in the history of PCs with an installed base of 10+ billion units and growing at 3+ billion units per year. This success was brought about by the ease-of-use, interoperability and quality of USB-IF-certified devices. USB has always been an interface that makes adding peripherals to a PC as simple as hooking up a telephone to a wall-jack, and the ease of USB connectivity has been achieved via USB-IF’s continual engineering activities and comprehensive certification test program.

Renesas believes that the USB-IF’s compliance program is an important distinction for users in their decisions to purchase quality USB products. “The USB-IF is pleased with Renesas achieving certification for its SuperSpeed USB-SATA3 bridge system-on-chip,” said Jeff Ravencraft, president and COO, USB-IF. “Certification helps ensure interoperability with the growing number of SuperSpeed USB products and a seamless user experience.”

A newly defined mass-storage class protocol, UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol) allows mass-storage devices to operate more efficiently, and therefore take advantage of the increased bandwidth available SuperSpeed Universal Serial Bus (USB 3.0) interface. In December 2009, Renesas released a UASP driver, followed by the launch of a USB 3.0-SATA3 bridge SoC (μPD720230) in August 2011, which was the world's first USB 3.0-to-SATA3 bridge SoC that supports UASP.

Renesas is currently working with leading chipset manufacturers to ensure that its UASP software is compatible with their chipsets. The UASP driver runs not only on the Renesas μPD720200 USB 3.0 host controller and its follow-on products (μPD720200A, μPD720201 and μPD720202), but also on A70M and A75 AMD Fusion Controller Hubs and its future products.

“In today’s divergent computing environment – where we each have multiple computing devices – compatibility is essential for customers,” said Chris Cloran, VP and GM of Client Business Unit at AMD. “Our work with Renesas helps ensure greater USB 3.0 compatibility for the industry, meaning AMD customers have a positive experience using USB on our platforms.”

Looking forward, Renesas will expand the industry support and compatibility for the UASP driver by working closely with Intel to ensure full compatibility with their high volume chipsets, as well as their future SOCs.

“Intel is pleased to be working with Renesas on the UASP driver compatibility to ensure personal computer buyers worldwide, receive the promise of robust plug and play compatibility, plus the performance delivered by USB 3.0,” said Ahmad Zaidi, GM of Intel’s Chipset and SOC IP Group.

Leadership in USB
As a member of the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) since 1996, Renesas Electronics (formerly NEC Electronics) has played a leading role both in defining USB standards and in developing USB technology. In April 2000, the company (then NEC Electronics) launched the μPD720100 device, the world's first USB 2.0-compliant host controller chip and an extensive lineup of other USB devices, and has earned a reputation for delivering dedicated customer service and high quality.

In May 2009, Renesas Electronics (then NEC Electronics) introduced the industry's first USB 3.0 xHCI host controller and, only after four months of its release, the company became the world’s first to earn the "Certified SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0)" certification from the USB-IF, and also started mass production of the μPD720200 host controller.

In the following year, the company released its second USB 3.0 xHCI host controller (μPD720200A) and passed the compliance and certification testing in only two months. These USB 3.0 host controllers have been widely accepted in the industry and provide excellent compatibility between PCs and PC peripherals that support USB 3.0.

Following these devices, two new host controllers joined the Renesas USB 3.0 product lineup in March 2011 to deliver even faster transfer speeds, better power efficiency, and more compact size than the company’s previous versions of USB 3.0 host controllers.

Renesas Electronics is the world’s largest producer of USB 3.0 host controllers and provides complete USB 3.0 solutions, which includes device drivers for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. Renesas Electronics also licenses both host and device-side USB 3.0 IP and offers USB host- and device-side building blocks within its custom ASIC libraries for companies wishing to design and market their own USB 3.0 integrated circuits.