Synopsys' DesignWare IP for PCI Express Successfully Taped Out in Multiple Designs

L1 sub-states reduce a PCI Express system's link idle power consumption from 15 to 20 milliwatts per lane to 10microwatts per lane, or by approximately 99 percent, by repurposing the signals between the PHY and the controller so that they turn off the high-speed circuits in the PHY when not in use.

Reducing power consumption in every aspect of an SoC is key for a mobile design's success, said Eric Esteve, market analyst at IPnest. The availability of L1 sub-states in PCI Express controller IP will enable lower power consumption, which in turn improves battery life—a key differentiator in today's mobile designs.

Reducing standby power is a prerequisite for the emerging thin and light form factor mobile markets, and has now become critical in multiple market segments that must meet stringent regulatory power requirements such as European Regulation 1275/2008. To address these requirements, PCI-SIG members, including Synopsys, are proposing L1 sub-states to supplement previously adopted power saving features such as Latency Tolerance Reporting and Optimized Buffer Flush/Fill. Synopsys' first-to-market support for L1 sub-states has already enabled market leaders to integrate this new power-saving technology into ten designs while maintaining backward compatibility with existing PCI Express devices. With first silicon back on several of these designs, adopters are well on their way to delivering their low-power mobile products on or ahead of schedule.

With the availability of L1 sub-states in our DesignWare controller IP for PCI Express, Synopsys leads the industry in adopting and rolling out the latest PCI-SIG enhancements, said John Koeter, vice president of marketing for IP and systems at Synopsys. Our complete PCI Express controller IP portfolio helps reduce designers' integration risk and development time. With our first-to-market rollout of L1 sub-states, the portfolio continues to be on the forefront of power conservation for mobile and consumer device designers using PCI Express.

Synopsys DesignWare controller IP for PCI Express with support for L1 sub-states is available now. For more information, please visit http://www.synopsys.com/pcie . The L1 sub-state engineering change request is in the final stages of becoming an engineering change notification to the PCI Express specification.