Product category:
Intellectual Property Cores
News Release from: ARC International
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 07 June 2001
RF Micro Devices uses ARC core for
Bluetooth
RF Micro Devices has licensed both configurable 32bit processor technology and a USB controller from ARC Cores for its new Bluetooth baseband controller.
RF Micro Devices has licensed both configurable 32bit processor technology and a USB controller from ARC Cores for its new Bluetooth baseband controller RF Micro Devices' new Bluetooth radio chipset includes the RF2968 transceiver and the RF3001 ARC-based digital baseband controller
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 20 Feb 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Dale Wilson, marketing manager for RF Micro Devices' silicon systems product line, said: "When our RF3001 ARC-based baseband controller is combined with our existing RF2968 transceiver, we have a powerful, compact ultra-low-cost solution for Bluetooth enabled applications.
Our near-term Bluetooth strategy includes offering a family of products targeted at specific applications.
By using ARC's core we are able to reduce the die size of our baseband controller to suit the requirements of specific host interfaces such as PCs, laptops and PC peripherals".
"We chose ARC because of its flexibility as well as its affordable business model.
ARC's core is 'soft' rather than a fixed block, which allows better flexibility in layout.
Also, the soft core is not fab-specific, allowing RFMD to use any CMOS fab - not just those that are licensed.
The availability of ARC's core as an FPGA image has enabled us to quickly evaluate our design.
The FPGA-based design can be used to exercise our Bluetooth radio to assure compliance and interoperability before committing the design to silicon", added Wilson.
Ian Anderton, business development director at ARC Cores, comments: "RF Micro Devices' RF3001 is a good example of using ARC's platform-based approach for ease of integration.
Specifically, this approach enables RF Micro Devices to integrate RF and mixed signal technology with ARC's digital processor core and the USB.
ARC's core provides customers with a hardware/software co-development environment and intellectual property to accelerate product development and time-to-market.
In addition, ARC's user-customisable core is independent of technology, allowing fabrication to different processes".
He added, "The use of ARC's processor by a leading player in the wireless communications business is further evidence of the rapidly growing market penetration of ARC's configurable technology.
RF Micro Devices is one of 50 customers who are using ARC's technology across a broad range of applications in wireless communications, wired networking and consumer products".
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