Wolfson announces programmable audio hub
LONDON - Fabless chip company Wolfson Microelectronics plchas announced the imminent availability of the WM5100 integrated circuit, whichthe company describes as the world's first audio system-on-a-chip.
The IC integrates a multi-channel transmit and receive pathwith noise cancellation and ambient noise cancellation and is intended to bedesigned into mobile handsets and tablet computers, Wolfson (Edinburgh,Scotland) said.
The chip features three 32-bit DSP cores for audioprocessing all designed by Wolfson, rather than licensed in, audio ADCs andDACs, as well as speaker drivers up to 2W. The addition of the triple-cored DSPallows for a wide variety of use cases for the audio channels as may be foundin increasingly capable smart mobile devices.
Prior to offering the WM5100 Wolfson could offer the samefunctionality but only with five chips - an audio hub, a separate DSP, a noisecancellation IC, Wolfson executives said.
The chip is implemented in a 0.18-micron CMOS manufacturingprocess but Wolfson executives declined to state at which foundry the chipwould be made. Wolfson works with Globalfoundries, TSMC, and Magnachip and,although it tends to have a single lead foundry for any given device, the companyalways as an alternate foundry to provide dual sourcing.
With environmental noise suppression, 5.1 virtual surroundsound, and digital recording enhancement, the WM5100 also enables highdefinition audio capture and playback, the company said.
"As audio components in mobile phones and tablet PCsare increasingly becoming dis-integrated from the application processor, thedemand is growing for separate Audio SOCs," said Duncan Macadie, productmanager for audio hubs at Wolfson, in a statement.
The WM5100 will be available for sampling in the thirdquarter in a 155-ball CSP package and is priced at $6.20 in 1,000 unitquantities. Wolfson expects to provide the chip in millions of unit ofquantities.
This story was originally posted by EE Times.
Wolfson announces programmable audio hub
The IC integrates a multi-channel transmit and receive pathwith noise cancellation and ambient noise cancellation and is intended to bedesigned into mobile handsets and tablet computers, Wolfson (Edinburgh,Scotland) said.
The chip features three 32-bit DSP cores for audioprocessing all designed by Wolfson, rather than licensed in, audio ADCs andDACs, as well as speaker drivers up to 2W. The addition of the triple-cored DSPallows for a wide variety of use cases for the audio channels as may be foundin increasingly capable smart mobile devices.
Prior to offering the WM5100 Wolfson could offer the samefunctionality but only with five chips - an audio hub, a separate DSP, a noisecancellation IC, Wolfson executives said.
The chip is implemented in a 0.18-micron CMOS manufacturingprocess but Wolfson executives declined to state at which foundry the chipwould be made. Wolfson works with Globalfoundries, TSMC, and Magnachip and,although it tends to have a single lead foundry for any given device, the companyalways as an alternate foundry to provide dual sourcing.
With environmental noise suppression, 5.1 virtual surroundsound, and digital recording enhancement, the WM5100 also enables highdefinition audio capture and playback, the company said.
"As audio components in mobile phones and tablet PCsare increasingly becoming dis-integrated from the application processor, thedemand is growing for separate Audio SOCs," said Duncan Macadie, productmanager for audio hubs at Wolfson, in a statement.
The WM5100 will be available for sampling in the thirdquarter in a 155-ball CSP package and is priced at $6.20 in 1,000 unitquantities. Wolfson expects to provide the chip in millions of unit ofquantities.
This story was originally posted by EE Times.
Wolfson announces programmable audio hub