Nitero Introduces NT4600 - The First End-to-End IEEE 802.11ad Solution Built from the Ground up for Mobile Applications

Nitero Partners with Samsung Foundry for Its Advanced 28nm RF Process Technology to Meet Mobile Device Requirements for Low Power and Full-Room Performance

AUSTIN, Texas-- July 16, 2014 --Nitero, the global leader in high performance and low power 60GHz CMOS solutions, today announced 60G®, its 60GHz family of solutions. The first product in this family, the NT4600, is the industry’s only end-to-end IEEE 802.11ad™ solution that meets the power, performance and form-factor requirements for mobile applications. The NT4600 is designed in Samsung’s advanced 28nm RF process based on 28nm HKMG LPP technology. It is up to 10x more power efficient than 802.11ad solutions designed for the PC, while bringing cost and form-factor in-line with existing 802.11ac Wi-Fi solutions. Nitero is currently demonstrating the NT4600 to select partners and customers and will start production shipments in 2015.

“802.11ad, the next generation of Wi-Fi, is the missing link to allow for the long-awaited convergence of PC, gaming and entertainment platforms onto a single mobile device. 802.11ad solutions built for the PC and slimmed down for mobile simply can’t meet the power, performance, and form-factor requirements of Tier 1 mobile customers,” said Pat Kelly, CEO of Nitero. “At Nitero, we targeted the smartphone from day one. The result is 60G.”

“The market for 60GHz Wi-Fi is set to pick up in a big way in 2015 due to its adoption into increasingly powerful 4K-capable smartphones,” said Philip Solis, research director at ABI Research. “Nitero is one of the few companies that will have 60GHz Wi-Fi modules ready for mobile products next year. The company makes a perfect complementary solution to Wi-Fi chipsets from companies that will not have 60GHz solutions ready next year or have not planned for it in their roadmaps.”

Nitero’s NT4600 supports low-latency 4K display and peer-to-peer wireless connectivity at USB 3.0 data rates – both requirements for supporting console-equivalent mobile gaming and to allow seamless use of productivity applications in a mobile office. In addition, while single-antenna 802.11ad solutions sacrifice in-room performance to get to low power, the NT4600 supports transmit and receive beamforming to provide full coverage throughout the office, living room or conference room.

“Today’s smartphones and tablets have incredible processing and graphical power. However, these capabilities are bottled up due to the lack of robust wireless display connectivity,” said Kelly. “60G allows our phones to reach their full potential, without requiring a power cord to keep the battery alive. With the NT4600, I can walk around a conference room while my smartphone drives a presentation at the office. Once home, it can wirelessly connect to my 4K TV to play the latest first person shooter without having to be recharged.”

The NT4600 leverages Samsung’s 28nm RF process technology and design enablement to set a new bar for power efficiency and performance among 802.11ad solutions. Samsung Foundry’s 28RF process design kit (PDK) and verification method has been proven by simulation and silicon results with the NT4600. Samsung’s 28nm RF process technology is built on top of the high-volume manufacturing proven 28LPP HKMG process.

“We added RF capability to our 28nm HKMG LPP manufacturing process to enable smaller, more power efficient RF solutions in smart connected devices,” said Shawn Han, Vice President of Foundry Marketing, Samsung Electronics. “This partnership with Nitero has shown what our 28nm RF process and design ecosystem with IP and RF PDK are capable of when applied to the industry’s most advanced wireless technology.”

60G Highlights

Nitero’s 60G solutions support the following features:

• Samsung 28nm RF CMOS process technology
• Power reduced by up to 10x over PC 802.11ad solutions
• Industry-leading output power, noise figure and sensitivity to maximize performance
• Transmit and receive beamforming to support non-line-of-sight conditions
• Low-latency 4K wireless display support in living-room, desktop, and conference-room environments
• Peer-to-peer wireless connectivity using 16-QAM modulation at up to 4.6 Gbps
• PCI Express® host interface to support the latest mobile applications processors while minimizing software overhead
• Fully-compliant to the ratified IEEE 802.11ad standard
• Android driver support

About Nitero

Nitero is a fabless semiconductor company developing high performance, low power 60GHz CMOS solutions. The company’s world-class engineering team has delivered the industry’s first end-to-end 60GHz Wi-Fi solution designed for mobile applications from the ground up. Nitero’s technology builds on CMOS mm-wave research conducted by NICTA and the University of Melbourne from 2004 until Nitero’s spinout from NICTA in 2011. Nitero is funded by leading venture capitalists with deep semiconductor roots – Austin Ventures, Southern Cross Venture Partners and Trailblazer Capital. The company is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with a design center in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, visit www.nitero.com.