Gridbee achieves first-pass silicon success with Synopsys

ARC EM's extensive configurability enabled Gridbee to create an optimised implementation that delivers the essential signal processing required for machines to efficiently and securely communicate with each other within stringent power and silicon area budgets.

Stephane Laurent, CBDO & co-founder, Gridbee Communications, commented: "To meet the profitability and reliability targets of the industrial IoT market, it is imperative that we develop secure, power-efficient and reliable plug-and-play wireless communication solutions that are easy for our customers to deploy. Synopsys' ARC EM processors are highly configurable and offer extremely low power consumption. ARC's hardware advantages, combined with the available security features and software development tools, enable us to deliver tailored solutions that address the evolving challenges of IoT communications."

Gridbee Communications develops plug-and-play wireless communication technologies for smart devices in industrial environments, including SoC components and related software. With a simple USB connected case, Gridbee's customers can easily implement machine intelligence through peer to peer communication and networked devices. The solution is based on medium and long range radio frequency technology (IEEE 802.15.4g SUN with both FSK and OFDM modulation) to enable communication with the machines' network and a mesh network infrastructure and use very little power when not communicating. Gridbee's solution includes all the hardware and software components necessary for securely connecting smart devices.

DesignWare ARC EM Processors are based on the scalable, 32-bit ARCv2 Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) and are optimised for area and power efficiency. The ARC EM cores' small size make them suited for applications where power consumption and size must be kept to a minimum without compromising performance. Synopsys' Enhanced Security Package for ARC EM processors enables designers to create a tamper-resistant, secure environment that protects their systems and software from evolving security threats such as IP theft and remote attacks. The ARC EM Family is supported by a robust ecosystem of development tools and software, including the MetaWare Development Toolkit and ARC EM Starter Kit. In addition, Synopsys' embARC Open Software Platform gives ARC EM software developers online access to a comprehensive suite of free and open-source software that eases the development of code for IoT and other embedded applications.

"The growth in connected machines is requiring wireless solutions that help guarantee reliable, high-speed, secure communications, while meeting demanding energy and cost budgets. Selecting Synopsys' ARC processors with the MetaWare toolkit and embARC Open Software Platform enabled Gridbee to meet the performance and power efficiency of their design targets while accelerating the deployment of their innovative M2M solutions to the market," added John Koeter, Vice President of Marketing, IP and prototyping, Synopsys.