With its U2 BLE 5.2 Audio AI SoC, Big Fish Semiconductor enables the development of a new generation of more integrated products, primarily targeting true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds. Dolphin Design’s mixed-signal ADC IP – named sADC-uLP-ANC.03 – also combines all needed features to empower other True Wireless designs.
Combining three mono ADCs cores - two for voice recording and one for noise processing - the solution features Programmable Gain Amplifiers and Automatic Gain Level adjustment, a low noise voltage regulator, together with low latency decimation filters. With a breakthrough latency as low as 3us from input to output, best-in-class noise cancellation can be achieved.
Furthermore, the extremely low power consumption – as low as 230µA – of the sADC-uLP-ANC.03 ADC contributes to a longer usage before battery recharge. Overall, the U2 BLE 5.2 Audio AI SoC enables finished products with 33% lower power consumption than high-end TWS Bluetooth headsets currently on the market, whether in music playback mode (U2 is 12mW vs. 16mW), call mode (U2 is 19mW vs. 31mW), or standby mode (U2 is 0.5mW vs. 2mW) with a power consumption of 417 uA in standby mode at 1.2V (TSMC 40nm).
Tackling the TWS audio market is a major step that Big Fish Semiconductor is about to take with Dolphin Design’s audio converter IP. It is estimated by Counterpoint research that the market for TWS Bluetooth headsets alone will reach 500 million units sold worldwide by the end of 2022.
"Our brand new U2 5.2 Audio SoC is a game-changer in the TWS Bluetooth headset market with its ultra-low power consumption. But none of this would have been possible without Dolphin Design’s Audio IP. It has a high-fidelity ADC that combines superior audio performance with a small footprint and ultra-low power consumption, which is exactly what we at Big Fish Semiconductor were looking for. We are delighted with this partnership with Dolphin Design, which will continue for our future SoC developments," says Wang Na, COO at Big Fish Semiconductor.
Big Fish Semiconductor is a chip design company focusing on AI and connectivity chips, and is also one of the few high-tech enterprises in the world with SoC design, system software research and development, modem communication technology research and development, software and hardware system integration, and whole machine design capabilities. Big Fish was established in 2019 in Nanjing, bringing together top experts from Xiaomi, Motorola, Ericsson, AMD, Samsung, and other companies.
Eric Benoit, Director of Marketing & Business Development at Dolphin Design, adds: "For several years now, Dolphin Design has invested heavily into the development of high-fidelity audio and voice detection (VAD) IPs. Being part of Big Fish Semiconductor’s success in a very competitive market is a true recognition of the performance and quality of our audio converter IPs. This successful partnership is the result of close collaboration, which started with the delivery of a high-performance IP, and the support to achieve SoC integration down to post-silicon qualification. This success has paved the way to a new step in our collaboration with soon a new chip in a more advanced node."
Dolphin Design is an innovative and fast-growing semiconductor IP and ASIC design company headquartered in Meylan, France. Dolphin Design is a subsidiary of Soitec, an innovative and fast-growing semiconductor company. It employs more than 180 people, including 140 engineers who design the key functions of an integrated circuit – called “IP blocks or platforms” – or even the complete integrated circuit – called ASIC or System-on-Chip (SoC).
www.dolphin-design.fr
