Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC) and QuickLogic have announced the availability of QuickLogic's ArcticPro embedded FPGA (eFPGA) technology on SMIC's 40nm low leakage (40LL) process.

QuickLogic's advanced architecture, mature software and IP ecosystem, in combination with the SMIC 40LL process, offers SoC designers an easy-to-implement, highly reliable and extremely low power eFPGA solution, the companies said. The ArcticPro eFPGA technology is already in production on a variety of leading processes.

QuickLogic's ArcticPro eFPGA, in the SMIC 40LL process, gives developers of SoCs the ability to add a high degree of post manufacturing design flexibility to devices. Because it is a single device platform, multiple chip variants can be created from a single mask set, enabling customization to address fragmented and/or rapidly evolving standards. This not only equates to a significant reduction in cost, but also provides developers with the flexibility they need to support new and unique customer requirements and to target new markets. The ultra-low power consumption of the ArcticPro eFPGA makes it especially well-suited for handheld, wearable and IoT endpoint applications, all of which require a long battery life.

"This is the first eFPGA IP offering to be available on the SMIC 40LL process," said Tianshen Tang, EVP of design service at SMIC. "We chose QuickLogic because the company has decades of experience with low-power FPGA architectures and supporting software. Now our customers can benefit from this technology and its unprecedented post-manufacturing flexibility."

"Supporting the SMIC 40LL process is a significant step forward for ArcticPro eFPGA technology," noted QuickLogic president and CEO Brian Faith. "It's now broadly available on a popular low-power process, well-supported and easy to implement. We expect these factors to drive broad adoption for a wide range of low power SoC designs."