IoT (Internet of Things) systems and MCU (microcontroller unit) devices are significantly growing with internet appliances and artificial intelligence at edge devices along the development of 5G. The related applications, such as smart meters, smart speaker, wireless sensors hub, and wearable devices, require low power design methodology to achieve long battery life and high power-efficiency.
Based the eFlash solutions on UMC 55ULP (ultra-low-power) and 40ULP technologies, Faraday provides IoT/ MCU solution for achieving the 3 design targets of cost competitiveness, high power-efficiency and low power consumption.
This solution consists of PowerSlash™ library cells, memory IP, versatile functional IP, low-power design methodology, and self-developed IoT development platforms, Uranus+™ and Ariel™, accelerating the development of the SoC silicon through the hardware design and software development.
Faraday IP works under extended power supply voltages depending on different process nodes with wide voltage range support. The featured “Turbo Mode” can help MCU cores to reduce dynamic power by 40% at nominal clock rates.
Faraday Uranus+™ platform is a 32-bit MCU-based ultra-low-power SoC with embedded flash, implemented by UMC’s 55ULP technology. It features DVFS power modes management to balance trade-offs between performance and power consumption. In particular, its “Turbo Mode” enables MCU core to achieve 2x performance under the same operating voltage.
Faraday Ariel™ platform is built on UMC's 40ULP process combined with Infineon's SONOS eFlash technology. Compared with Uranus+™ platform, it demonstrates a 35% reduction in operating power. The platform comes with two options of main processors, ARM Cortex-M4 and RISC-V; either one can be adopted to meet application requirements.
Success Cases
Faraday has started delivering AIoT projects, covering a wide range of applications of smart speaker, facial recognition, smart lock, and wearable. Especially, PowerSlash™ and Specialty Low-Power Design are crucial factor to wearable Always-On MCU solution and demonstrated in worldwide first RISC-V wearable product.
Platform-based Hardware and Software Design
- Architecture Exploration
- Finalized SoC specification and confirmation with customers
- Experience-based SoC architectural options designed for optimized speed, power and cost
- Integration
- Automatic connecting utility to reduce human error
- Integrated clock and reset designs
- System Control Unit (SCU) design & integration
- Verification
- Verification of the integrated SoC with soft bench
- Delivery of the verification report for design sign-off
- SoCreative! SoC EVB platforms
- Real performance logic and system verification
- Pre-verified software package
- IP hardware verification
- Qualified and verified software design kits
- Comprehensive software package
- Hardware driver for hardware IP Verification
- OS Kernel API and middle ware to support SDK-based on customer’s SoC product
- System bring-up and boot ROM for board level system verification
- Demo application for product demonstration
