Texas Instruments and Aricent collaborate on small cell protocol stack optimized for TI's KeyStone multicore processors

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS – Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NASDAQ: TXN) and Aricent®, a global technology innovation technology and services company focused exclusively on communications, today announced their collaboration on a small cell protocol stack optimized for TI's KeyStone-based multicore System-on-Chips (SoCs). With this integrated solution from TI and Aricent, developers will be able to more quickly, easily and cost effectively design small cell base stations.

This small cell protocol stack is specifically tailored for users of TI's KeyStone-based multicore processors and SoCs. Integrating TI's field-proven KeyStone architecture elements for layers 2, 3 and transport processing with Aricent's software components optimizes design efficiencies and enables customers to develop more cost-efficient and high performance base stations.

"The combination of TI's industry-leading KeyStone multicore DSPs and Aricent's proven software frameworks creates powerful, reliable, and cost-efficient base station solutions for operators," said Rakesh Vij, vice president of business development, Aricent Group. "Our small cell protocol stack has been chosen by several leading OEM vendors and is in advanced trials or production systems today. This collaboration further cements our leadership in providing world-class LTE software. Our software together with our product engineering services help OEMs to introduce innovative new solutions to the market quickly and efficiently."

TI's scalable KeyStone architecture includes support for both TMS320C66x digital signal processors (DSP) generation cores and multiple cache coherent quad ARM Cortex™-A15 clusters, for a mixture of up to 32 DSP and RISC cores. In addition, TI's KeyStone architecture includes fully offloaded, flexible packet and security coprocessors and capacity expansion for SoC structural elements such as TeraNet, Multicore Navigator and Multicore Shared Memory Controller (MSMC). These structural elements provide a seamless integration between the DSP and ARM RISC cores, allowing base stations developers to fully utilize the capability of all processing elements, including the cores and enhanced AccelerationPacs.

"With our scalable KeyStone architecture and Aricent's field-proven technology, we are able to deliver the most complete small cell solution today," said Sameer Wasson, business manager, wireless base station infrastructure, Texas Instruments. "TI and Aricent provide equipment manufacturers with everything they need to quickly develop highly differentiated and cost-efficient high performance base stations."

Availability
The small cell protocol stack from TI and Aricent will be available in second half of 2012. For more information please visit www.ti.com/multicore or www.aricent.com.

Visit TI @ Mobile World Congress
While at MWC, visit TI at Booth 8A84 (Hall 8) to learn more about the latest communications infrastructure, analog, wireless and DLP news, and to check out a broad range of TI based demos. For more information please visit www.ti.com/mwc2012.

For more information:

• Watch TI's multicore Ask The Experts series
• Engage with engineers and TI experts on the TI E2E™ Community and Multicore Mix
• Follow TI on Twitter
• Become a fan of TI on Facebook

About TI's KeyStone multicore architecture
Texas Instruments' KeyStone multicore architecture is the platform for true multicore innovation, offering developers a robust portfolio of high performance, low-power multicore devices. Unleashing breakthrough performance, the KeyStone architecture is the foundation upon which TI's new TMS320C66x DSP generation was developed. KeyStone differs from any other multicore architecture as it has the capacity to provide full processing capability to every core in a multicore device. KeyStone-based devices are optimized for high performance markets including wireless base stations, mission critical, test and automation, medical imaging and high performance computing. Learn more at www.ti.com/multicore.

About the Aricent Group
The Aricent Group is a global innovation and technology services company that helps clients imagine, commercialize, and evolve products and services for the connected world. Bringing together the communications technology expertise of Aricent with the creative vision and user experience prowess of frog, the Aricent Group provides a unique portfolio of innovation capabilities that seamlessly combines consumer insights, strategy, design, software engineering, and systems integration. The client base includes communications service providers, equipment manufacturers, independent software vendors, device makers, and many other Fortune 500 brands. The company's investors are Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Sequoia Capital, The Family Office, Delta Partners, and The Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board.

For more information, please visit http://www.aricent.com  
Follow the Aricent Group on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/aricent

About Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments semiconductor innovations help 90,000 customers unlock the possibilities of the world as it could be – smarter, safer, greener, healthier and more fun. Our commitment to building a better future is ingrained in everything we do – from the responsible manufacturing of our semiconductors, to caring for our employees, to giving back inside our communities. This is just the beginning of our story.  Learn more at www.ti.com.

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SOURCE Texas Instruments