Memory licence boosts Tower SoC offerings

Tower Semiconductor has licensed several Virage Logic embedded memories as part of a multiyear licensing agreement.

Tower Semiconductor has licensed several Virage Logic embedded memories as part of a multiyear licensing agreement.

Products included are Virage Logic's Area, Speed and Power (ASAP) Memory High-Speed (HS) and High-Density (HD) embedded SRAMs, the ASAP ROM, the 2-Port Register file, and the 512Kbit and 4Mbit Self-Test and Repair (STAR) Memory System.

Under the terms of the agreement, Virage Logic developed and licensed the ASAP embedded memories and the STAR Memory System to Tower and its customers for use on Tower's industry standard 0.18-micron process technology.

Tower Semiconductor is a pure-play independent CMOS wafer foundry strategically focused on advanced embedded nonvolatile memory, digital and mixed-signal CMOS and CMOS image-sensor technologies.

Tower Semiconductor chose Virage Logic embedded memories because they combine area-efficiency with performance in a design that is silicon proven and cost-effective.

Tower has successfully fabricated the Virage Logic single port memories in silicon with high yields in their new Fab 2.

By choosing Virage Logic ASAP HD and HS embedded memories, and the STAR Memory System, Tower Semiconductor can offer its customers the memory characteristics that best suit their design requirements, for instance, high-speed memory for networking and communications products, or high-density memory for space-optimised products such as set-top boxes and automotive devices.

"We're pleased to expand our ongoing relationship with Virage Logic by including the ASAP embedded memories and the STAR Memory System in our expanding portfolio of IP, libraries and design support, enabling customers easy utilisation of our various foundry technologies", said Sergio Kusevitzky, senior director of IP and design services, Tower Semiconductor.

"With the addition of the ASAP embedded memories and the STAR Memory System, we can effectively meet the needs of our customer's particular application".

"The combination of Tower Semiconductor's specialised silicon technologies with Virage Logic's application-optimised memory products offers a powerful synergy for IP suppliers and foundry service companies", said Krishna Balachandran, Director of Product Marketing, Virage Logic.

"Our ongoing relationship with Tower Semiconductor will help companies bring innovative system-on-chip (SoC) products to market with unprecedented speed and cost-effectiveness".

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