Link Layer and PHY IP achieve Bluetooth 5 qualification

4th September 2017

Synopsys Inc

Enaie Azambuja

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Synopsys has announced that the silicon-proven DesignWare Bluetooth Low Energy Link Layer IP and PHY IP in industry-standard 40-nm and 55-nm processes have achieved Bluetooth 5 qualification and have been declared compliant by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. Achieving qualification ensures the robustness of the IP and that it functions as expected within a SoC.

The DesignWare Bluetooth IP solution has been validated with third-party software stack providers, including SEARAN, to provide designers with a complete hardware and software solution. The IP has been tested in third-party interoperability workshops to ensure that it operates reliably in real-world environments.

The new, qualified DesignWare Bluetooth Low Energy PHY IP delivers up to 60 percent smaller area compared to the previous Bluetooth PHY solution, providing designers with a compact, low-power wireless IP solution for IoT applications such as medical, smart appliances, smart thermostats and wearables.

"SEARAN and Synopsys are addressing our mutual customers' low energy wireless connectivity needs by providing a proven, complete Bluetooth 5 IP solution," said Arkady Pittel, president and CEO at SEARAN.

"The integrated solution, consisting of SEARAN's compact dotstack and Synopsys' DesignWare Bluetooth Low Energy Link Layer IP and PHY IP, allows designers to quickly bring differentiated Bluetooth-based products to the fast moving IoT market."

Synopsys' Bluetooth 5 Link Layer and PHY IP solutions support Bluetooth mesh and enable secure wireless connectivity with extended reach, and data rates up to 2Mbps with an integrated on-chip transceiver matching network.

The PHY also supports the IEEE 802.15.4 standard for connectivity over wireless networks such as Zigbee or Thread. With more than 15 years of analog and radio frequency (RF) design experience and a portfolio of silicon-proven IP shipping in volume, Synopsys provides a robust wireless IP solution for integration into SoCs.

"Connected devices like wearables, smart locks and smart thermostats require Bluetooth technology to communicate wirelessly at extremely low power," said John Koeter, vice president of marketing for IP at Synopsys.

"By providing a silicon-proven and qualified Bluetooth Low Energy Link Layer and PHY IP solution, Synopsys enables designers to integrate the required functionality into their SoCs to ensure compliance, interoperability and robustness of their designs."

The next-generation Bluetooth Low Energy PHY IP in 40-nm process is scheduled to be available in Q4 of 2017. Synopsys' DesignWare Bluetooth Low Energy Link Layer IP and PHY IP in 40-nm and 55-nm are available now.