THE IoT
generated a demand for microcontrollers and SoCs that can run complex AI algorithms. These are normally employed as part of a dedicated sensor cluster, with the memory, sensor and communications device and all supporting components in one package. The processors for these types of applications need to be physically small and use very little power as they mainly rely on batteries, and are often worn on the body or situated in places that are hard to access. The same tough restrictions are placed on every other component in the system to make the batteries last as long as possible. As many of these systems spend the majority of their time in sleep mode, only waking up to report when polled or at a set interval, the sleep power consumption of the circuit can be just as important, if not more important, than the operating power consumption. To meet the needs of these endpoint applications, Winbond and Ambiq have worked together to combine Winbond’s 256Mbx8 HyperRAM Hybrid Sleep Mode (HSM) memory and Ambiq’s Apollo4 SoC. The combination of the two high- performance and ultra-low-power technologies is intended to provide designers with a dedicated hardware and software solution that provides the performance required for demanding AI tasks, while using minimal power. The Apollo4 SoC is built around a 32-bit
Arm Cortex-M4 core with Floating Point Unit (FPU) fabricated on TSMC’s 22nm ULL process. To provide maximum flexibility, the SoC has the processing power and peripherals to act as both an application processor and a co-processor for battery- powered endpoint devices. The Apollo4
device is designed to operate at a clock frequency of up to 192MHz with a typical power efficiency of 4µA/MHz, thanks to Ambiq’s TurboSPOT technology. TurboSPOT is an ultra-low power dynamic performance scaling technology built on the company’s original SPOT (“Subthreshold Power Optimised Technology”) platform. It facilitates a higher frequency operating mode for the CPU and memory. Winbond’s 256Mb x8 HyperRAM Hybrid Sleep Mode (HSM) memory is the ideal partner for Apollo4 SoC designs. Not only do the two technologies share ultra-low-power technology, but the HyperRAM memory also allows the SoC to perform at its maximum potential for the computation of optimised AI algorithms and neural networks like TinyML, or to drive vivid colour displays. Compared to competing technologies, HyperRAM is typically smaller, with a lower pin count, lower power consumption, and it is easier to control. It is also compliant with the JEDEC JESD251 profile 2.0 standard. Winbond also can offer 64Mb x8 HyperRAM, which typically has a standby power consumption under 70µW when operating at 1.8V and 110µW at 3V in room temperature. This is far lower than a similar capacity SDRAM, which is around 2000uW at 3.3V. That difference is magnified in the HyperRAM’s Hybrid Sleep Mode (HSM), where it only consumes under 35µW at 1.8V and 55µW at 3V in room temperature, which is significantly below the standby power consumption of equivalent SDRAM. As for 256Mbx8 HyperRAM at 1.8V, it has a standby power consumption under 140uW and HSM power consumption under 70uW in room temperature. HSM is a power saving mode that allows
the memory to retain its contents, even when most of its internal circuits are asleep, which leads to a power saving of nearly 50% when compared to normal standby operation. The technology was been specifically designed for products that rely on batteries, or have long sleep times, such as IoT endpoint devices and wearables. HyperRAM devices are easy and better performance IoT products because of their small form factor and low pin count with only 13 signal pins. It is not only the hardware design that HyperRAM simplifies. It has a self-refresh command that allows it to retain its data with no external clocking. It can also automatically return to standby after it has performed read and write operations. These abilities help to reduce the time spent on system design and firmware programming.
The ideal partnership Designers are under increasing pressure to get IoT endpoint designs to market quickly to meet the demand from customers who are looking for small, low-power designs that can handle complex AI algorithms. The combination of Ambiq’s Apollo4 SoC and Winbond’s 256Mb x8 HyperRAM Hybrid Sleep Mode (HSM) memory provides a flexible hardware and software platform that combines high performance with extremely low power consumption in both operating and standby modes, as well as simplifying the design-in process.
Winbond
www.winbond.com
Ambiq
www.ambiq.com
SEPTEMBER 2021 | ELECTRONICS TODAY 21
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