CAST Releases MIPI I3C Basic Slave Controller IP Core

New controller provides fast, low-power, royalty-free MIPI I3C interface for connecting sensors and peripherals to processors and includes I3C-to-AHB Bridge for quicker system integration

Woodcliff Lake, NJ — November 10, 2020 — Silicon intellectual property provider CAST, Inc. today announced a new IP core that implements a slave controller for the MIPI^® I3C Basic^SM interconnection bus.

The new I3C-S MIPI I3C Basic Slave Controller core supports the latest I3C Basic specification, is suitable for any I3C bus topology, and is easy to configure and use. It includes—uniquely, the company believes—an I3C to AMBA AHB bridging mode. This enables an I3C bus master to access the on-chip AHB bus without additional software assistance, simplifying data exchange and remote monitoring and configuration.

Long-term CAST partner Silesia Devices developed the core. “We rolled twenty years of I2C customer experience into this competitive, user-centric IP core that delivers unmatched features and efficiency to developers using the new I3C Basic bus,” said Silesia Devices president Maciej Pyka. “The core also saves time and headaches with a built-in bridge between the I3C bus and the popular AMBA AHB bus, eliminating a step that system integrators previously had to do themselves.”

The new I3C-S MIPI I3C Basic Slave Controller core is available now for FPGA or ASIC designs. It is part of CAST’s broad IP product line, which also features compression engines, microcontrollers and processors, SoC security modules, and various other peripherals, interfaces, and IP cores. Learn more by visiting www.cast-inc.com, emailing info@cast-inc.com, or calling +1 201.391.8300.

About MIPI I3C and MIPI I3C Basic

MIPI I3C is a serial communication interface specification that improves upon the features, performance, and power use of I²C, while maintaining backward compatibility for most I²C devices. MIPI I3C Basic is technically identical to MIPI I3C, except with a reduced feature set and RAND-Z licensing. MIPI-I3C Basic was designed to be interoperable to MIPI I3C and intended to be royalty-free to all implementers in order to encourage fast and broad deployment of the new serial I3C serial bus. Learn more at the MIPI Alliance I3C page.