Wireless Firms Collaborating On Single-Chip LSI, Platform

Oct 21, 2008 11:00 AM, MD&D News Staff

NTT DOCOMO Inc., Renesas Technology Corp., Fujitsu Ltd., and Sharp Corp. are jointly developing a single-chip large-scale integration (LSI) device, and a platform incorporating it, to support the HSUPA/HSDPA/W-CDMA and GSM/GPRS/EDGE (2G) mobile telephone standards (Fig. 1). The SH-Mobile G4 will employ a 45-nm process to enable a high integration level and extra-fast processing.

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The device will provide enhanced functionality and improved performance for applications handling high-definition video and 3D graphics. In addition to HSDPA cat.8 for extra-fast downlink speeds (7.2 Mbits/s maximum), the SH-Mobile G4 will support HSUPA to boost uplink speeds to a maximum of 5.7 Mbits/s, almost 15 times faster than the conventional 384-kbit/s speeds, enabling much faster bidirectional data transfers.

In 2004, NTT DOCOMO and Renesas began joint development work on the SH-Mobile G series of single-chip LSI devices, which integrate a baseband processor that supports dual-mode communication and an application processor. The SH-Mobile G4 will be the fourth product to emerge from this collaboration.

The joint development work has since progressed to include handset manufacturers such as Fujitsu and Sharp as partners in the development of mobile phone platforms. Each platform has an SH-Mobile G series product as the core component and includes a basic software suite (operating system, middleware, and drivers) and a reference chipset in a single package. The new platform is scheduled for completion by the first calendar quarter of 2010.