DesignWare DDR4 Memory Interface IP from Synopsys

18th September 2012

Synopsys Inc

ES Admin

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Synopsys has today announced that it has enhanced it DesignWare DDR Memory Interface IP portfolio with the release of support for DDR4 SDRAMs. By supporting DDR4 as well as DDR3 and LPDDR2/3 in a single core, the DesignWare DDR solution enables designers to interface with either high-performance or low-power SDRAMs in the same system-on-chip, which is a key requirement of many SoCs such as applications processors for smartphones and tablets.

Synopsys' support for DDR4 memory is an important contribution to building a robust DDR4 ecosystem, said Robert Feurle, vice president of DRAM marketing for Micron Technology, Inc. DDR4 brings substantial power and performance benefits to the industry, and Micron is aggressively driving its introduction. By implementing their DesignWare DDR Interface IP with backward compatibility in mind, Synopsys is enabling chip developers to bridge the transition from today's DDR3-based SoCs to the upcoming DDR4 designs.

Synopsys' DesignWare DDR4 IP solution consists of the DDR4 multiPHY and Enhanced Universal DDR Memory Controller that connect through a commonly used DFI 3.1 interface. The new DDR4 IP supports all key DDR4 features planned for the upcoming JEDEC standard and, compared to the previous version, includes a 13 percent increase in raw bandwidth, up to a 50 percent reduction in overall latency and new low-power features that provide intelligent system monitoring and control to power down elements of the IP as determined by the system's traffic patterns. Real-time scheduling features in Synopsys' unique CAM-based DDR controller can optimize the scheduling of data read/write traffic from multiple hosts, maximizing performance and minimizing latency.

While the initial target markets for DDR4 are networking, server, and compute platforms, engineers designing for digital TVs, set-top-boxes, multi-function printing, smartphone and tablet applications will also adopt DDR4 DRAM as prices drop and performance improves, said Desi Rhoden, executive vice president, Montage Technology, and JEDEC memory chairman. Synopsys has leveraged their participation at JEDEC to develop DDR4-compatible products before the actual standard has been released, which is a key benefit of JEDEC membership.

Synopsys' complete DDR interface IP portfolio includes support for LPDDR, LPDDR2, LPDDR3, DDR, DDR2, and DDR3, said John Koeter, vice president of marketing for IP and systems at Synopsys. With this announcement, we are broadening our portfolio to include support for DDR4 while maintaining backward compatibility with existing JEDEC standard SDRAMs. As new DDR standards evolve, designers look for reliable solutions. Synopsys' track record of over 320 DDR IP design wins demonstrates that we offer a low-risk path to silicon success.

Availability for the DesignWare DDR4 multiPHY and uMCTL2 with support for DDR4 is planned for Q4 2012.