CSEM joins GLOBALFOUNDRIES' FDXcelerator Program bringing ultra-lowPower IP to 22FDX process

CSEM Announces Ultra-low Power Connectivity and Radar IP on GLOBALFOUNDRIES 22FDX for IoT and Edge AI Applications

Neuchatel, 24 September 2019 – CSEM, a leader in low-power RFIC design and embedded systems, announced today at GLOBALFOUNDRIES (GF) annual Global Technology Conference (GTC) that CSEM is developing ultra-low power Bluetooth Low Energy® (BLE), CMOS radar mmWave IP and embedded machine-learning accelerators on GLOBALFOUNDRIES (GF) 22nm FD-SOI (22FDX®) platform.

The combination of GF’s 22FDX and CSEM’s “IcyTRX” dual mode Bluetooth Low Energy and Bluetooth classic RF is expected to achieve 50% lower power and 50% lower area than their existing GF 55 nm BLE RF IP solution. Moreover, CSEM’s patented machine learning accelerator, called Visage, is expected to achieve more than 60% power savings and 80% area savings with 22FDX compared to 55nm, allowing for true AI edge-processing with a dedicated RISC-V processor.

“Collaborating with partners such as GF, we continuously enhance our IP for the latest processes,” said Alain-Serge Porret, Head of Wireless and Integrated Systems at CSEM. “The availability of these best-in-class IPs will enable GF’s clients to design always-on smart sensors and streaming audio devices with ground-breaking battery life.”

“CSEM will help GF to further broaden our IP portfolio to continue providing our clients with a differentiated 22FDX solution for IoT connectivity, image recognition and motion-sensing devices," said Mark Ireland, vice president of Ecosystem Partnerships at GF. "We are pleased to welcome CSEM as a partner in our FDXcelerator program. Together, we enhance our IP capabilities and services enabling clients with low-power and cost-efficient AI edge processing solutions."

The CSEM RF and mmWave IPs using GF’s 22FDX will be available for licensing to qualified clients starting 2Q 2020.

About CSEM
CSEM—technologies that make the difference

CSEM, founded in 1984, is a Swiss research and development center (public-private partnership) specializing in microtechnology, nanotechnology, microelectronics, system engineering, photovoltaics and communications technologies. Around 450 highly qualified specialists from various scientific and technical disciplines work for CSEM in Neuchâtel, Zurich, Muttenz, Alpnach, and Landquart.
Further information is available at www.csem.ch