SiliconBlue enables differentiated mobile broadband products with P-Series mobileFPGA devices

BARCELONA, USA: SiliconBlue Technologies, a leader in ultra-low power, single-chip SRAM FPGAs, has announced the new iCE65 P-Series mobileFPGA devices.

The P-Series devices extend the iCE65 family architecture by adding performance enhancements such as 30% faster I/O, PLLs (phase-locked loops) and by offering over 12,000 logic cells.

These enhancements support applications such as video scaling and multiplexing for multi-display applications up to 720p HD, and complex functions such as timing control and color space manipulation for color reflective displays. Static power consumption remains below 50µA, ideal for preserving battery life.

According to Forward Concepts, over the next four years smartbooks are forecast to dramatically outgrow netbooks with over 60 million units predicted to ship in 2014.

In that same year, Credit Suisse predicts that over 32 million eReaders will ship. During this period of explosive growth, vendors will seek to aggressively introduce differentiating features to gain market share. By utilizing iCE65 mobileFPGA devices, designers can utilize existing mobile application platforms and add differentiating features such as multiple displays and color, eliminating a full system design and validation cycle.

“Being the first to introduce innovative features is essential in emerging markets,” said Kapil Shankar, CEO of SiliconBlue. “Designers don’t have the time to wait for new application processors, nor can they afford the skyrocketing cost of custom silicon. The new P-Series devices enable designers to implement innovative and differentiating features on existing mobile application platforms, getting them to market in the shortest time possible.”

The first iCE65 P-Series device will be the iCE65P04, available in two packages: CB196 and CB284, as well as Known Good Die (KGD). Customers can design with these new product/package combinations using the iCEcube VHDL/Verilog-based development software. ES samples and software support are available now.