Synopsy Expands IP Portfolio for IoT Development

Synopsys’ new IoT IP portfolio offers services that are optimized to address the security, wireless connectivity, energy-efficient and sensor processing requirements for a wide range of Internet of Things applications such as wearables, smart appliances, metering and wireless sensor networks. 

The DesignWare IP portfolio for the IoT includes power- and area-efficient logic libraries, memory compilers, non-volatile memory (NVM), data converters, wired and wireless interface IP, security IP, ultra-low power processor cores and an integrated sensor and control IP subsystem. 

In addition, Synopsys' embARC Open Software Platform offers online access to open-source and commercial drivers, operating systems and middleware to accelerate development of application software.

Highlights of the IP portfolio include:

- Broad IP portfolio for IoT designs includes logic libraries, memory compilers, non-volatile memory, data converters, wired and wireless interface IP, security IP, processor cores and a sensor and control IP subsystem.

- IP specifically designed for ultra-low power 40-nm and 55-nm process technologies minimizes power consumption and extends battery life.

- Low-power 40-nm integrated IoT IP platform, developed in collaboration with TSMC, delivers the energy-efficiency and area improvements for always-on processing required for sensor fusion and voice recognition applications.

- The embARC Open Software Platform and ARC Access Program provides open-source and commercial software development tools, drivers, operating systems and middleware.

Specific platform functionality includes:

- Near threshold, ultra-high density logic libraries reduce power consumption, while thick oxide logic libraries deliver low leakage for always-on functions.

- High-density, low voltage embedded memory compilers incorporate the smallest bit cells with integrated test and repair supporting embedded flash.

- Power- and area-optimized 12 bit/14-bit SAR data converters, USB 1.1 and 2.0, MIPI CSI-2 and DSI, and NVM IP enable implementation of required sensor, data and connectivity functions, while lowering overall system cost.

- Silicon-proven Bluetooth Smart IP implements the Bluetooth 4.0, 4.1 and 4.2 low energy standards and supports down to one-volt operation for extended battery life.

- Security IP including Public Key Accelerators, True Random Number Generators, security protocol accelerators, as well as secure hardware root of trust, secure boot and middleware software provide protection against evolving threats in the IoT.

- Highly configurable 32-bit DesignWare ARC® embedded processors and EV vision processors enable designers to tailor each ARC processor instance to meet specific performance, power and area requirements of the IoT application.

- Pre-validated, tightly integrated sensor and control IP subsystem delivers significant power savings and orders of magnitude reduction in cycle count with application-specific hardware accelerators.

Synopsys provides a comprehensive suite of commercial and open-source tools and software to accelerate the development of ARC-based embedded systems for the IoT. This includes Synopsys' MetaWare Development Toolkit and MQX RTOS, as well as support for the GNU toolchain and Linux kernel.

The embARC Open Software Platform gives ARC software developers online access to a suite of free and open-source software commonly used to develop IoT applications such as MQTT, CoAP, FreeRTOS and Contiki OS from the embarc.org website. The website also provides documentation and a forum-based community where developers can share resources, expertise and code to speed deployment of ARC-processor-based embedded systems. 

Synopsys also partners with embedded hardware and software vendors to provide developers with commercial tools, drivers, operating systems and middleware through the ARC Access Program.