Chip-to-Chip Link tech is licensed by
10 SoC vendors for mobile phone apps
Arteris Inc and Texas Instruments Inc have jointly developed
the Chip-to-Chip Link (also known as C2C), which has been
licensed by 10 SoC semiconductor vendors serving the mobile
and wireless application processor and modem markets.
Arteris explains that C2C is the first instance of an industry
standard allowing shared memory between two IC chips, such
as a mobile phone applications processor and a mobile phone
modem and the 100ns round-trip latency of the C2C connection
is fast enough for the modem to share the application processor's
RAM and to maintain enough read throughput and low latency
for cache refills. This enables the phone manufacturer to
remove the modem's dedicated RAM chip from the phone's bill
of materials (BOM), saving a minimum $2 in cost per phone,
claims Arteris.
Arteris says along with the $2 cost savings for a single
LPDDR2 RAM, removing a RAM saves up to 115 square millimeters
of printed circuit board (PCB) space and reduces mobile
phone system complexity.
"C2C is an optimal solution for low latency mobile
phone modem connection to applications processors because
it allows us to fully reuse the same DDR pads that are available
for connecting the standard dedicated modem RAM," said
Stefan Wolff, Division Vice President and General Manager
Smart Phones and RF at Intel Mobile Communications GmbH
(IMC). "Using the Chip to Chip Link allows IMC modems
to connect to a wide selection of mobile phone application
processors from multiple vendors, allowing our customers
to choose the best products for their needs whilst saving
cost and footprint without compromising performance."
"TI believes that split architecture provides the
industry's most optimal environment for innovation. We worked
with Arteris on C2C and pushed its evolution in the MIPI
Alliance to help our customers turn split architecture into
something advantageous regarding modem connection. In the
end, OEMs and ecosystem partners alike benefit from the
growth of a cost-effective thin modem market and the opportunity
to combine those modems with the best-in-class OMAP applications
processor," said Remi El-Ouazzane, Vice President and
General Manager, OMAP Platform Business Unit, TI.
In addition to Intel and Texas Instruments, other publicly
announced C2C licensees include Samsung, LG, ST-Ericsson,
HiSilicon Technologies, and Via Telecom.
"Although licensees initially consider C2C for mobile
phone DRAM memory sharing, we are seeing new use models
such as coprocessor connectivity to quickly meet market
windows for new standards like LTE," said K. Charles
Janac, President and CEO of Arteris. "The low cost,
low gate count, low latency, and low power of C2C make it
ideal for a multitude of chip-to-chip connectivity use cases."
