Renesas Ramps Up Production of USB 3.0 Host Controllers to Six Million Units Per Month

As a member of the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) since 1996, Renesas Electronics (formerly NEC Electronics) has played a leading role both in defining USB standards and in developing USB technology. In April 2000, the company (then NEC Electronics) launched the µPD720100 device, the world's first USB 2.0-compliant host controller chip and an extensive lineup of other USB devices, and has earned a reputation for delivering dedicated customer service and high quality.

In May 2009, Renesas Electronics (then NEC Electronics) introduced the industry's first USB 3.0 xHCI host controller and, only after four months of its release, the company became the world's first to earn the “Certified SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0)” certification from the USB-IF, and also started mass production of the µPD720200 host controller. In the following year, the company released its second USB 3.0 xHCI host controller (µPD720200A) and passed the compliance and certification testing in only two months. These host controllers have become the de facto USB 3.0 host controller standard realizing the best interoperability between PCs and PC peripherals that support USB 3.0.

Following these devices, two new host controllers joined the Renesas USB 3.0 product lineup in March 2011 to deliver even faster transfer speeds, better power efficiency, and more compact size than the company's previous versions of USB 3.0 host controllers.

Renesas is the world's largest producer of USB 3.0 host controllers and provides complete USB 3.0 solutions, which include device drivers for Windows XP™, Vista™ and Windows 7™. Renesas Electronics also licenses both host and device-side USB 3.0 IP and offers USB host- and device-side building blocks within its custom ASIC libraries for companies wishing to design and market their own USB 3.0 integrated circuits.

“The fact that our USB 3.0 host controllers surpassed the 30 million cumulative shipment mark in just one-and-a-half years serves as a clear demonstration that Renesas Electronics is the leader in the USB 3.0 market,” said Yukihiko Matsuda, Associate General Manager, Industry & Network Business Division, Renesas Electronics Corporation. “To address the increasing adoption and orders from both new and existing customers in a timely manner, we decided to ramp up our production, and in the meantime, our product lineups will continue to evolve, expanding their possibilities by adding new features to further respond to customer requirements.”