Imagination announces second generation IEEE 802.11n Wi-Fi IP designed for low-power applications

iEW220 offers customers enhanced function and extended battery life

LONDON, UK; 15 October 2019 – Imagination Technologies announces the launch of iEW220, Ensigma’s latest IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n 1X1 SISO Wi-Fi IP solution comprising of RF, baseband and MAC, supporting both 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrum.

Designed in TSMC 40, iEW220 provides industry leading power consumption and area without compromising functionality. It is designed to meet the communication requirements for low-power consumption markets such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and wearables, implementing all the communication requirements for complex low-power system-on-chips (SoCs), designed for optimum battery life.

Richard Edgar, Senior Director of Product Management, Ensigma, Imagination Technologies: “With this latest version of our Wi-Fi IP, Ensigma is providing a leading-edge solution that has all of the features the IoT market needs for low-power Wi-Fi. This is confirmed by the IP already being designed-in by a tier one semiconductor manufacturer targeting this market.”

iEW220 is supplied as a hard macro for the analogue section and synthesisable RTL for the digital sections, enabling maximum flexibility and the fastest time to market with reduced development costs. The iEW220 is available for licensing now and key features include:

• Silicon ready design: pre-certified to Wi-Fi Alliance IEEE 802.11n, WPA3, WMM-PS and PMF test plans, with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and EU regulatory compliance
• Total solution size: less than 6mm2 (post layout TSMC 40), reducing cost significantly
• Industry leading rate and range performance: Tx power up to 19 dBm and Rx sensitivity up to -97 dBm
• Latest security: supports the latest Wi-Fi Alliance WPA3 security, including optional GCMP encryption, and the Chinese encryption standard WAPI
• Optional power management unit (PMU): enables the SoC to be powered from a single 2.9 to 4.5 v battery supply. PMU area less than 1mm2, reducing the bill of materials (BOM) cost and total solution area
• Integrated PA, LNA and baluns: reduces silicon costs and system level bill of materials (BOM) costs. The IP includes integrated Rx/Tx switch for single antenna, removing the need for an external switch, simplifying system level design, cost of manufacturing and test
• Optional UMAC: reduces dependencies on third party software and improves integration and time to market (TTM)
• ROM-based LMAC and UMAC for lowest silicon solution size
• Supports station, soft AP and Wi-Fi direct with up to four associated devices

IEEE 802.11n is a standard for Wi-Fi communications. IEEE 802.11n, an addition to the IEEE802.11 family of standards, increases speed, improves reliability and extends the range of wireless transmissions.

About Imagination Technologies

Imagination is a UK-based company that creates silicon and software IP (intellectual property) designed to give its customers an edge in a competitive global technology market. Its graphics, compute, vision & AI, and connectivity technologies enable outstanding PPA (power, performance and area), robust security, fast time-to-market and lower total cost of ownership. Products based on Imagination IP are used by billions of people across the globe in their phones, cars, homes, and workplaces. Imagination Technologies was acquired in 2017 by Canyon Bridge, a California-headquartered, global private equity investment fund. See www.imgtec.com