The Hindu Business Line : New class of ICs with varied applications

A NEW class of digital integrated circuits (ICs), the hot pursuit of research driven, global chip technology companies, could well emerge as alternatives to the traditional ICs, offering more efficient and cost effective embedded computing power and versatile handheld, wireless products.

The key sectors that these new generation materials devices, based on elemental computing platforms (EPs), projected to impact are automotive electronics, consumer wireless applications and a whole range of convergence products from 3D graphics (cameras, video and analysis) to digital imaging technology.

EPs are `of-the-shelf' parts that promise to usher in the 3Ps - price, performance and power optimisation - far greater than that achievable by Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASICs) of today. To top it all, they are expected to bring in the novel feature of 3Rs - detecting failures in advance and checking them from the supply chain to the end user.

Element CXI, based in California, is trying to build such EPs also called digital integrated circuits. These miniaturised tools would reduce design time costs, enhance manufacturing reliability and are robust, claims, its CEO, Mr Jaime Cummins.

Mr Cummins told Business Line in a telephonic interview that CXI's EPs would be a general purpose processing platform suitable for any process application.

For example, in digital cameras, it could bring in lots of enhancements, brighten colours, dramatically improve image quality and do it at cheaper costs.

Market analysts put the business opportunity close to $10 billion by the end of 2006. Promoters of Element CXI, which is backed by private investors, hope to bring the technology to the market by the end of next year, Mr Cummins said.

With the development of a new ASIC or System-on-a-chip (SoC) design too costly, and even the fast growing Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) demanding high power, the scope for a new class of ICs is tremendous.

Element CXI is in discussion with Indian companies, which, Mr Cummins said, have core-competencies in software technologies. Mr Kota Bhaskar, one of the promoters is in India meeting up with key companies to identify application and system design expertise.

Mr Bhaskar said the success of this technology is equally dominated by the need for effective application development tools.

"We are looking at companies like Coware Inc that have potentially good tools and a synergy in plans to establish the next generation of programmable platforms for the market," he said.

The company plans to establish development facilities in countries such as India and Japan, which have pockets of engineering excellence.\ "The idea is to develop a cost-effective technology, which not only overcomes the limitations of current ICs, but creates applications that are hitherto not possible," he said.

The limitations in the Moore's Law (which predicted exponential increases in system performance through ICs), and the realisation that traditional IC and SoC methods offer diminishing returns on high expenditure, have necessitated development of new technologies, he added.

More Stories on : Science & Technology | Hardware

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Exide to power Afghanistan with its wind, solar energy

Priority for infrastructure, Manmohan tells investors — Transparent regulatory framework soon

Jindal South to buy controlling stake in Siscol

Tata Chemicals posts higher net in Q2 at Rs 87.19 cr — Bangladesh venture to cost $450-500 million

New class of ICs with varied applications

Crisil buys Irevna for Rs 43 cr

Late-hour buying props up Sensex

Citigroup to acquire ABN Amro businesses