Outsourcing SoC Network Design Just Makes Sense

 By Frank Ferro, Sonics Inc.

The ability to squeeze more into an SoC is forcing semiconductor developers to look at IP from outside sources. Most design starts are targeting a 45-nm process, which means an embedded SoC can easily have 50 or even 100 cores. Clearly no one company, except for some of the very largest, can develop all the technology blocks needed in these complex devices.

Chip Makers Target LTE

 By Linley Gwennap, Linley Group

With backing from nearly all of the leading cellular-service providers in the world, Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is clearly the 4G technology of choice for mobile data. Some handset makers are developing their own LTE ASICs, but most LTE devices will use standard baseband processors from the leading chip suppliers. That's why chip makers don’t want to be left behind in the 4G transition.

Bob's Mailbox: Readers Respond To "What's All This Little Guy Stuff, Anyhow?"

 By Bob Pease

Columnist Bob Pease responds to reader comments regarding his August article about the benefits of spending time on the small-volume customers he refers to as the "Little Guy."

Load-Sharing Power Converters Tackle Higher Output Power And Fault Tolerance

 By Tom Curatolo, Vicor Corp.

Designers parallel their power supplies to increase system power output or to provide fault tolerance. When both power supplies are load sharing, for example, the two supplies share the dissipated heat, improving reliability. Furthermore, if one power supply goes offline, the other one is coming from an already loaded state, so the perturbation on the output is not significant.

Vote For The 2009 Engineering Hall of Fame Inductees!
Engineering giants such as Jack Kilby, George Philbrick, and Bob Pease are already members of Electronic Design’s Engineering Hall of Fame. Now it’s time to induct the 2009 class. Who deserves the honor? It’s up to you! Read over our list of nominees and vote for your favorites. We’ll report on the winners in our December 1 issue.

SoC Integrates DSL, Wi-Fi, And Cordless Phone Functionality

 By Louis E. Frenzel, Communications Editor

Broadcom’s BCM6362 SoC offers an ADSL2+ modem, an 802.11n WLAN transceiver, a Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) cordless telephone circuit, and Voice over Internet Protocol in a single 65-nm device. Designers can combine a separate modem, wireless access point, and cordless telephone into one convenient, lower-cost home networking solution.