Magnum Semiconductor Licenses Sidense's Logic Non-Volatile Memory for Consumer Entertainment Products

Update: Synopsys Expands DesignWare IP Portfolio with Acquisition of Sidense Corporation (Oct. 17, 2017)

Low-cost, very dense memory IP assures encryption key and code storage security

Ottawa, Canada – April 1, 2008 – Sidense, a leading developer of Logic Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) IP cores, today announced that Magnum Semiconductor has licensed Sidense’s 1T-Fuse™ NVM IP for two of its consumer entertainment products.

Magnum Semiconductor is a leading supplier of video recording chips, software and platforms for the consumer electronics and professional broadcast industries.  The Company will be integrating 32 Kbit and 256 Kbit blocks for security key and code storage in chips manufactured at TSMC’s 90nm logic CMOS process.  Sidense’s low-cost, highly secure and high-density one-time programmable (OTP) embedded memory technology is ideal for consumer product applications, such as HDCP, where protecting video content intellectual property is critical.

“Magnum’s implementation of our low-cost, secure and low-power embedded NVM IP validates its use in applications where digital rights management is a key consideration,” said Steve Cliadakis, Sidense’s Vice President of Worldwide Sales.  “We are very happy to supply technology that will allow Magnum to continue to produce quality silicon and software for a wide range of consumer multimedia products.”

“The protection of media content is an important feature of our product line,” said Steve Musallam, Vice President of Product Marketing at Magnum Semiconductor.  “We found that the technology represented by the Sidense 1T-OTP memory IP was the best available for implementing the level of security that we and our customers require.”

About Sidense
Sidense, listed on EE Times 60 Emerging Startups list for 2008, provides secure, dense and reliable non-volatile, one-time programmable (OTP) memory IP for use in standard-logic CMOS processes, with no additional masks or process steps required.  Sidense's patented one-transistor 1T-Fuse™ architecture provides the industry’s smallest footprint and lowest power Logic Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) solution.

Sidense OTP memory is available at 180nm, 130nm, 90nm and 65nm and scalable to 45nm and below.  The IP is available at UMC, TSMC, SMIC, Tower and Chartered. Customers are using Sidense OTP for analog trimming, code storage, encryption keys such as HDCP, RFID and Chip ID, medical, automotive, and configurable processors and logic.  For more information, visit www.sidense.com

About Magnum Semiconductor
Magnum Semiconductor is a leading provider of chips, software, and platforms for consumer entertainment systems and the professional broadcast infrastructure. Magnum provides the tools and technologies for recording, storing, managing, viewing, and exchanging audio and video to the home, throughout the home, and on the go. Magnum Semiconductor is headquartered in Milpitas, California, with sales and engineering offices in Canada, China, India, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Further information is available at www.magnumsemi.com.