The Taiwan government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) on December 25 unveiled ultra-low-voltage SoC (system on chip) technology featuring low power-consumption solutions for smart hand-held devices.

The ultra-low-voltage SoC technology integrates Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) 65nm process, Andes Technology's core CPU IP and circuit devices developed by National Chung Cheng University and National Chiao Tung University to minimize power consumption through precise circuit designs, according to general director Wu Cheng-wen for the Information and Communications Research Laboratories under ITRI.

In comparison with conventional SoCs which operate at 1.2V, the ultra-low-voltage SoC technology has an operating voltage of 0.6V or even 0.48V and is suitable for applications such as long-time video recording in cars and for security surveillance, Wu indicated.

In addition, the ultra-low-voltage SoC technology is able to utilize innovations facilitating power generation via ambient energy sources, Wu pointed out. For example, thermo-electric generator SoCs can convert heat emitted from human bodies into electricity, and the efficiency of conversion can be hiked by ITRI's in-house-developed maximum power point tracking technology, Wu noted.

By: DocMemory
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