(SoC) System-on-a-Chip Consumer demand has motivated chip designers to develop n
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Question
(SoC) System-on-a-Chip
Consumer demand has motivated chip designers to develop new technology to consume less power and to keep up with software and communication demands. That creation is called system-on-a-chip (SoC). SoC integrates all the computer circuitry into a single chip. This is essential for making the “brains” of small computing devices such as tablets, smartphones, and wearable technology. Using the Internet and websites below, write a brief report on the development of the SoC chip and how it will change the future of mobile devices.
Suggested Websites
http://jonpeddie.com/publications/mobile-devices-and-the-gpus-inside/
arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/04/the-pc-inside-your-phone-a-guide-to-the-system-on-a-chip/
www.techradar.com/us/news/computing/pc/system-on-a-chip-what-you-need-to-know-about-socs-1147235
http://www.mediatek.com/en/news-events/mediatek-news/mediatek-announces-mt6630-worlds-first-five-in-one-combo-wireless-connectivity-soc-for-mobile-devices/
www.extremetech.com/computing/126235-soc-vs-cpu-the-battle-for-the-future-of-computing
Suggested Keywords
soc chips, mobile device soc, what are soc chips, who is using soc chips
Explanation / Answer
development of the SoC chip and how it will change the future of mobile devices.
SOC Chips:
An SoC, or system-on-a-chip , integrates almost all of these components into a single silicon chip. Along with a CPU, an SoC usually contains a GPU (a graphics processor), memory, USB controller, power management circuits, and wireless radios (WiFi, 3G, 4G LTE, and so on). Whereas a CPU cannot function without dozens of other chips, it’s possible to build complete computers with just a single SoC.
An SoC is only a little bit larger than a CPU, and yet it contains a lot more functionality.
Using SoCs, we can put complete computers in smartphones and tablets, and still have plenty of space for batteries.
Due to its very high level of integration and much shorter wiring, an SoC also uses considerably less power — again, this is a big bonus when it comes to mobile computing. Cutting down on the number of physical chips means that it’s much cheaper to build a computer using an SoC, too.
Mobile device SoC:
Mediatek announced MT6630, the world’s first five-in-one combo wireless system-on-a-chip (SOC) to support full featured smartphones, tablets and other premium mobile devices.
The MT6630 dramatically reduces the component count and eBOM while improving ease-of-design for manufacturers by eliminating external low noise amplifiers (LNAs) and integrating the Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz power amplifiers (PAs), Bluetooth PA, and transmit-receive (T/R) switch into a PCBA footprint less than 65 mm2.
Key features
· Dual-band single-stream 802.11a/b/g/n/ac with 20/40/80MHz channel bandwidth
· 802.11v time of flight protocol support and management engines to enable higher accuracy of indoor positioning via Wi-Fi
· Advanced support for Wi-Fi Direct Services and Miracast™ optimization for easier pairing, increased robustness, advanced use-cases and lower power
· Bluetooth 4.1 with Classic, High-Speed and Low-Energy support, and ANT+ for compatibility with the latest fitness tracking, health monitoring and point of information devices and applications
· Concurrent tri-band reception of GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo and QZSS with industry leading sensitivity, low power, positioning accuracy, and the longest prediction engine
· FM transceiver with RDS/RBDS
· Integrated engines and algorithms for full concurrent operation and co-existence, including industry-leading throughput during LTE transmission
MT6630 delivers full concurrent operation of all 5 systems operating at maximum compute intensity with no degradation compared to single-system operation while offloading the mobile device CPU for design ease and extended battery life.
As a focus on low power and digital home convergence, the MT6630 uses a configurable PA architecture to save current at commonly used power levels, including those used for Miracast™ Wi-Fi Direct services. MT6630 implements advanced co-existence techniques, including for LTE to deliver industry-leading throughputs. MT6630 also supports Wi-Fi diversity for premium smartphones and tablets to improve antenna angle sensitivity and handheld scenarios.
"MT6630 makes it simple for manufacturers to bring mobile devices to market with sophisticated wireless features, lower power and uncompromised performance," said SR Tsai, General Manager of MediaTek’s Connectivity Business Unit. “MT6630 furthers MediaTek’s focus to deliver the best experiences across the digital home and mobile applications by using its unique leadership position in digital TV host processors, smartphone platforms, and connectivity.”
The small-footprint design is available in 5 x 5mm WLCSP (Wafer Level Chip Scale Package) or a 7 x 7mm QFN (Quad Flat No-Leads) and requires only 44 components, which is around half that of other integrated wireless solutions.
Mediatek MT6630 is sampling now and complements the recently announced MT6595 octa-core SOC with LTE for premium mobile devices. The first commercially available devices to use MT6630 are expected in the second half of 2014.
What are SoC chips:
A system on a chip or system on chip (SoC or SOC) is anintegrated circuit(IC) that integrates all components of a computer other electronic system into a single chip. It may contain digital,analog,mixed-signal, and often radio-frequency functions—all on a single chip substrate. SoCs are very common in the mobile electronics market because of their low power consumption.[1] A typical application is in the area of embedded systems.
Who are using Socs:
Traditional CPUs are learning from SoCs and are integrating memory controller, PCI Express and a graphics processor onto the same chip. AMD's Llano and Intel's Valley View are prime examples. Meanwhile, mobile SoCs are becoming more powerful, such as Samsung's Exynos 5, which powers Google's Nexus 10 tablet as well as the latest generation Samsung Chromebook.
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