SAN JOSE, Calif., March 31, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) --
Xpert-Connect SATA, The Lowest-Power IP Solution In the Industry, Achieves Complete Interoperability with SATA-Compliant Products
CEVA, Inc. (Nasdaq:CEVA) (LSE:CVA), the leading licensor of Digital Signal Processing (DSP) cores and communications solutions to the semiconductor industry, further demonstrated its leadership in licensable Serial ATA technology with the announcement that it's Xpert-Connect Serial ATA platform achieved successful interoperability with all SATA-compliant products of leading vendors at the Serial ATA Plugfest 2004 in Longmont, Colorado.Serial ATA (SATA) is the next generation storage interface standard which is replacing the existing Parallel ATA physical storage interface, allowing significantly improved performance and reliability for data transfer in a low-cost, low-power solution.
Interoperability was demonstrated at Plugfest using CEVA's Xpert-Connect SATA validation platform, consisting of an FPGA containing the SATA Protocol Layers interfaced with CEVA's PHY chip (0.13um TSMC). Optional features such as Spread Spectrum Clocking were also successfully verified providing licensees of Xpert-Connect SATA the added benefits of reduced Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI).
Exploiting an innovative architecture, Xpert-Connect delivers ultra low-power consumption in Serial ATA communications. The PHY, which consumes less than 80mW, is the lowest power licensable solution in the industry, making it ideally suited for portable consumer products such as MP3 players, Digital Cameras, Camcorders and other applications using the newest miniature hard disk drives. Xpert-Connect's ultra low-power capability offers immense benefits for solutions that require multiple SATA ports, such as RAID Controllers, Telecoms Data-loggers and PCs. The platform can integrate as many as 16 to 24 PHY channels on a single SoC without compromising the chip's thermal performance.
In addition to ultra low-power consumption, the innovative architecture of the PHY facilitates right-first-time porting to alternative semiconductor processes.
"Demonstrating complete interoperability with SATA compliant products on show, represents another important milestone for our Xpert-Connect SATA solution," said John Ryan, Vice President of Communications at CEVA. "The unbeatable sub 80mW power-consumption coupled with exceptionally robust link performance, makes Xpert-Connect SATA a compelling solution for the current wave of applications looking to integrate Serial ATA interfaces."
About Xpert-Connect SATA
Xpert-Connect SATA is a compete, verified Serial ATA licensable platform combining a SATA 1.5Gbps PHY and a Link/Transport/Command Protocol stack, and is fully compliant to the Serial ATA Revision 1.0a specification. The SATA PHY is supplied in the form of a GDSII hard macro with simulation models and physical views. The SATA Protocol (PHY Control, Link, Transport and Command/DMA layers) is delivered in the form of an RTL package, and supported by a comprehensive test bench environment plus physical design scripts for realization on the target semiconductor processes.
About CEVA, Inc.
Headquartered in San Jose, CEVA (NASDAQ: CEVA and LSE: CVA) is the leading licensor of DSP cores and communications solutions to the semiconductor industry. CEVA markets a portfolio of DSP IP in three integrated areas: CEVA DSPs, CEVA Xpert Open Framework Environment, and CEVA Xpert Applications, all supported by Xpert Integration services. CEVA's products are used in over 50 million devices each year. The company was formerly known as ParthusCeva, Inc. For more information, visit www.ceva-dsp.com.