Arteris FlexNoC Helps Enable Texas Instruments Wireless Connectivity for the Internet of Things (IoT)

by Kurt Shuler, On Feb 25, 2015

CAMPBELL, California — February 25, 2015 — Arteris Inc., the inventor and only supplier of silicon-proven commercial network-on-chip (NoC) interconnect IP solutions, today announced that Texas Instruments (TI) has implemented Arteris® FlexNoC® fabric IP in its SimpleLink™ ultra-low power wireless MCU portfolio. The TI SimpleLink family is part of the industry’s broadest wireless connectivity portfolio of cost-effective, low-power solutions for communications in the Internet of Things (IoT).

FlexNoC’s power management features and low latency helped us create the lowest-power IoT communication devices in the world. Just as important were the business benefits: Using FlexNoC allowed us to create a small set of digital logic SoC dies that serve as the brains of more than one hundred different products, each customized for its particular market.

FlexNoC’s flexibility and automation, combined with our implementation of software-programmable on-chip firewalls and power disconnect features, enabled us to produce an entire product line with a minimal number of digital logic components.

Texas Instruments logo
Oyvind Birkenes, General Manager, Wireless Connectivity SolutionsTexas Instruments

The Arteris FlexNoC interconnect fabric IP is the system-on-chip communications backbone for TI products that implement IoT wireless communications standards such as ZigBee®/IEEE 802.15.4, ZigBee RF4CE™, Bluetooth® low energy, 6LoWPAN, and the proprietary SimpliciTI wireless protocol.

TI chose Arteris FlexNoC in order to achieve ultra-low power consumption for devices that spend much of their time in idle modes. To reach this, TI implemented many power management features available within FlexNoC, including the ability to safely disconnect power not only to individual IP blocks, but also to parts of the on-chip fabric and clock tree. In addition, the power consumption was reduced by the inherent low latency performance of zero-latency cycle paths, which are enabled by fully combinatorial logic in FlexNoC. Finally, the unique FlexNoC power disconnect and firewall features allowed TI to create a highly configurable digital SoC with derivations that target many products based on one and the same platform architecture.

“FlexNoC’s power management features and low latency helped us create the lowest-power IoT communication devices in the world,” said Oyvind Birkenes, General Manager, Wireless Connectivity Solutions, TI. “Just as important were the business benefits: Using FlexNoC allowed us to create a small set of digital logic SoC dies that serve as the brains of more than one hundred different products, each customized for its particular market. FlexNoC’s flexibility and automation, combined with our implementation of software-programmable on-chip firewalls and power disconnect features, enabled us to produce an entire product line with a minimal number of digital logic components.” 

“TI’s use of FlexNoC is an excellent example of how Arteris technology not only helps meet the most stringent power and timing requirements, but also enables creative business options that decrease product costs through the use of platform and SoC derivative strategies,” said K. Charles Janac, President and CEO of Arteris. “We are honored that TI has trusted Arteris to be a key component in their premier product line implementing wireless communications for the Internet of Things.”

About Arteris

Arteris, Inc. provides Network-on-Chip interconnect IP and tools to accelerate System-on-Chip semiconductor (SoC) assembly for a wide range of applications. Rapid semiconductor designer adoption by customers such as Samsung, Altera, and Texas Instruments has resulted in Arteris being the only semiconductor IP company to be ranked in the Inc. 500 and Deloitte Technology Fast 500 lists in 2012 and 2013. Customer results obtained by using the Arteris product line include lower power, higher performance, more efficient design reuse and faster SoC development, leading to lower development and production costs. More information can be found at www.arteris.com.

Arteris, FlexNoC and the Arteris logo are trademarks of Arteris. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners.