Sonics and Tensilica Team to Increase IP Integration, SoC Efficiencies

Sonics’ Industry-Leading On-Chip Networks Interface to Tensilica’s Broad Portfolio of Advanced Audio, Video, Baseband Signal Processing IP Cores

MILPITAS, Calif. – February 2, 2012 – Sonics, Inc., world’s number one supplier of on-chip communications IP, today announced that its advanced on-chip networks will support Tensilica’s processor interface (PIF) to maximize customers’ IP integration and SoC efficiencies.  Sonics’ popular on-chip networks can now connect to Tensilica’s processor cores via Sonics’ OCP-IP interface, which will further optimize on-chip performance, streamline IP integration and achieve new levels of efficiencies for its high-performance, dataplane processors in the home entertainment, networking, and mobile multimedia markets.    

Sonics’ high-performance interface to Tensilica’s cores is ideally suited for a wide range of its popular on-chip networks, including SonicsSX™, SonicsLX™, SNAP™—as well as the recently announced GHz SonicsGN™—the industry’s first and only GHz NoC (network-on-chip).  

Tensilica’s customizable dataplane processors (DPUs) are widely embraced in the audio, video, 4G LTE, and other major subsystems where time-critical data signal processing occurs.  Tensilica’s customers have pioneered the use of multiple processors on chip to handle the many functions that must be offloaded from the main applications processor.

“By working with Sonics, we can provide our customers with an efficient on-chip network, which is particularly useful for cutting edge multicore chip designs,” stated Steve Roddy, vice president of marketing and business development at Tensilica.  “Our customers can now achieve superior system-level integration, reduced gate counts and even solve the most persistent network challenges inherent in the dataplane functions.”

“Our partnership with Tensilica is essential as we continue to proliferate our on-chip solutions into the fast-changing semiconductor market, and this gives our long-standing mutual customers ease of use, pre-verified interoperability and seamless IP integration across their audio, video and baseband products,” said Jack Browne, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Sonics.  “As  leading IP companies, we’re both committed to delivering high-performance, highly efficient solutions for the most data-intensive applications for today’s popular consumer electronics devices.”

About Tensilica

Tensilica, Inc. is the leader in dataplane processor IP cores. Dataplane processors (DPUs) combine the best capabilities of DSPs and CPUs while delivering 10 to 100x the performance because they can be optimized using Tensilica's automated design tools to meet specific and demanding signal processing performance targets. Tensilica's DPUs power SOC designs at system OEMs and seven out of the top 10 semiconductor companies for designs in mobile wireless, telecom and network infrastructure, computing and storage, and home and auto entertainment. For more information on Tensilica's patented, benchmark-proven DPUs visit www.tensilica.com.

About Sonics

Sonics, Inc. is a pioneer of network-on-chip (NoC) technology and today offers SoC designers the world's largest portfolio of intelligent, on-chip communications solutions for home entertainment, wireless, networking and mobile devices.  With a broad array of silicon-proven IP, Sonics helps designers eliminate memory bottlenecks associated with complex, high-speed SoC design, streamline and unify data flows and solve persistent network challenges in embedded systems with multiple cores.  As the leading supplier of on-chip communications networks, Sonics has more than 110 patent properties and has enabled its customers to ship more than one billion chips worldwide.  Founded in 1996, Sonics is headquartered in Milpitas, Calif. with offices worldwide.  For more information, please visit www.sonicsinc.com and www.sonicsinc.com/blog.