Synopsys and Nestwave reduce chip count in GPS navigation
Combining Nestwave’s soft core GPS navigation IP with the Synopsys DesignWare ARC IoT Communications IP sub system, has resulted in a low power global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) solution which can be integrated into IoT modems.
The two companies have collaborated on the joint solution which will provide designers with a power-efficient, high-accuracy GPS solution for battery-operated devices without the additional cost of a dedicated GNSS chip. It will be formally presented next week at the Synopsys ARC Processor Virtual Summit (Wednesday, 9 September 2020).
It has been developed to address the challenges of navigation systems implemented in power-constrained IoT devices. Ambroise Popper, CEO at Nestwave, explains: “By combining Nestwave’s low power geolocation software with Synopsys’ efficient ARC IoT Communications IP sub system, we can deliver a geolocation solution that offers greater accuracy, lower power consumption, and lower cost compared to existing GNSS solutions.”
The ARC IoT Communications IP subsystem is an integrated hardware and software solution that combines Synopsys’ DSP-enhanced ARC EM9D processor, hardware accelerators, dedicated peripherals, and RF interface to deliver efficient DSP performance for low bandwidth IoT applications. Nestwave’s GNSS solution takes advantage of the ARC EM9D processor’s efficient DSP capabilities and ability to add dedicated hardware accelerators or custom instructions using APEX technology to reduce frequency requirements, providing additional performance bandwidth.
The ARC EM9D processor is supported by the MetaWare Toolkit, which includes a library of DSP functions, allowing software engineers to rapidly implement algorithms from standard DSP building blocks.
Nestwave has developed a low power, advanced GNSS solution, which when integrated with an IoT modem, such as NB-IoT, Cat M1, LoRa or Sigfox, does not require an external GNSS chip to deliver low-cost geolocation for emerging applications such as asset tracking, smart factories and smart cities.
According to John Koeter, senior vice president of marketing and strategy for IP at Synopsys: “The combination of Synopsys’ ARC IoT Communications IP Subsystem with Nestwave’s GNSS technology will help designers significantly improve geolocation performance, reduce frequency requirements and lower overall power consumption for battery-powered IoT applications.”
