SiTime transforms precision timing with new Epoch Platform

The SiTime Epoch Platform is a MEMS-based, oven-controlled oscillator (OCXO) that delivers a stable clock to datacentre and network infrastructure equipment, unlocking a cumulative $2 billion served addressable market (SAM) in the next decade. Over time, Epoch technology will be extended to other high-growth electronics markets, such as aerospace and defence, and industrial controls.

“The release of the Epoch Platform is a pivotal moment for SiTime and the electronics industry,” said Rajesh Vashist, CEO and chairman of SiTime. “For many years, customers lived with the shortcomings of existing timing technologies because there were no viable alternatives. They compromised on real-world performance, reliability, and power, to name just a few. SiTime’s Epoch Platform changes the game, delivering higher performance and reliability with lower power that was unavailable until now. These benefits are the result of a half-decade of engineering investment and a systems-based development approach that combines MEMS, analogue, packaging, and algorithms. Epoch, along with new products introduced since 2020, with more to come, will expand our communications and enterprise annual SAM to $1.3 billion by 2024. We believe precision timing will be a catalyst for innovation in all electronics and will drive our future success.”

Precision timing is critical to network performance and reliability. All nodes in the network must be synchronised in time. For example, all nodes in a 5G network must always be synchronised within hundreds of nanoseconds, which is 10X more stringent than 4G. This level of synchronisation must be maintained despite network outages. By delivering up to 2X better performance, 9X smaller size and 3X lower power in applications such as datacentre switches and routers, 5G base stations and core infrastructure, the Epoch Platform sets a new bar in performance and reliability.

“As the world embraces next-gen technologies, like the explosion of AI, the reinvention of the Cloud data centre, and high speed 5G/6G cellular networks, advanced circuit and network timing solutions have become critical in ensuring performance, fault tolerance, and reliability,” said Dave Altavilla, Co-Founder, President and Principal analyst at HotTech Vision and Analysis. “AI is the most disruptive, transformative technology innovation in decades, perhaps even in the last century. The high-bandwidth, low-latency data centre infrastructure needed to support AI will require robust precision timing for critical wired and wireless network connectivity. Furthermore, these technologies will also be deployed at the edge and in the field, where tough environmental conditions will require more ruggedness and higher reliability than ever before.”  

SiTime Epoch Platform delivers 2X longer holdover and ensures continuous network operations

A synchronised network relies on multiple, redundant timing sources to ensure continuous operation. One of these sources is an ultra-stable, local oscillator, typically an OCXO, which will ‘holdover’ the network and ensure continued operation when other timing sources are impacted.

However, legacy quartz OCXOs are inherently unreliable and prone to performance degradation in the presence of environmental stressors such as temperature changes and vibration. To date, electronics companies compromised on real-world performance, reliability, size, power, and warm-up time to achieve the one thing that an OCXO delivered – a stable clock reference.

With the Epoch Platform, SiTime is breaking through all these limitations of quartz OCXOs. Epoch delivers 2X longer holdover, even under environmental stressors, enabling telecom and cloud service providers to deliver service continuity in real-world conditions.

Key features of SiTime Epoch Platform

• Any frequency between 10 and 220MHz, programmable up to six decimal places of accuracy.
• Eight hours of holdover, up to 12 hours with aging compensation – 2X better than other solutions in real-world environments.
• ±1, ±3, ±5ppb frequency stability over temperature.
• Highest operating temperature range: –40 °C to +95 °C.
• 3X lower power: 420mW.
• 3X better ADEV under airflow: 5e-12 at 10 seconds averaging time.
• 3X lower aging: ±0.08 ppb/day.
• 2X faster time to stability – 60 seconds.
• 9X smaller, 3X lower: 9 x 7 x 3.73mm.
• Digital control with 5E-14 resolution: I2C and SPI interfaces

Availability

Engineering samples of the SiT58xx Epoch Platform are available now for qualified customers. General samples will be available in October 2023. Volume production is expected in early 2024.