Altera delivers industry's first FPGA-based serial RapidIO Gen2 solution

SAN JOSE, USA: Altera Corp. announced the availability of the industry's first Serial RapidIO Gen2 FPGA-based solution, enabling improved bandwidth and link flexibility for next-generation 3G and 4G wireless base station deployments.

Altera successfully interoperated its RapidIO MegaCore Function IP core implemented in a Stratix IV GX FPGA with a Serial RapidIO Gen 2 switch from Integrated Device Technology (IDT). Altera's proven Serial RapidIO Gen2 solution increases system bandwidth by providing a 20-Gbaud packet-based interconnect for linking radio cards, host processors and digital signal processors used in high-performance communications systems.

"IDT is pleased to have reached this RapidIO Gen 2 device interworking milestone with Altera," said Stephane Gagnon, product management director for IDT's Communications Division. "Our mutual wireless infrastructure customers rely on IDT's RapidIO switches for the system interconnect and Altera's FPGAs as hardware processing endpoints for 3G and 4G base stations. Demonstrating interworking of our RapidIO Gen 2 devices allows our wireless customers, as well as those in military, medical and industrial markets, to confidently design and deploy reliable systems."

Altera worked closely with IDT to interoperate its Serial RapidIO Gen2 IP core with IDT's 80HCPS1848 switch in x1 and x4 configurations from 5 Gbaud up to 20 Gbaud. Delivering this proven Serial RapidIO Gen2 solution enables customers in wireless markets to design and deploy leading-edge, high-performance systems with confidence.

IDT offers an extensive line of high-performance, low power, low-latency Serial RapidIO solutions and is the only vendor to offer a Serial RapidIO Gen2 switch.

"Altera has a long history of enabling the latest protocols and industry standards in order to provide our customers the earliest access to leading-edge technologies," said Paul Ekas, director of product planning at Altera. "By working closely with the leading Serial RapidIO switch vendor, we are able to deliver to our customers proven solutions that enable the deployment of next-generation 3G and 4G wireless base stations supporting the continued global build out of wireless infrastructure."