First silicon for Adiabatic Logic's IOD shows over 50% power savings in chip I/O
CAMBRIDGE, England, October 13, 2003 - Adiabatic Logic Limited
(www.adiabaticlogic.com), a Cambridge-based company focused on creating and
licensing intellectual property (IP) in the low power technology arena, has
completed the first silicon implementation of its low power Intelligent
Output Driver (IOD) technology - and tests show power savings of more than
50% in chip I/O for portable electronic devices.
"This is a major milestone for Adiabatic Logic as it is the first proof that
our patented IOD technology delivers the power savings on silicon that our
early simulated tests suggested," said Geoff Harvey, Adiabatic Logic's chief
technology officer. "Achieving over 50% power savings with our first test
chip is a significant achievement and we will improve this through a program
of incremental development, which will include a further tape out with
refinements before the year-end."
The IOD IP cell is designed to replace the conventional pad drivers in an
integrated circuit (IC) and uses a patented energy recycling technique,
which in simulated tests delivered 50-75% power savings in chip I/O for
portable devices such as laptops, smartphones, handheld computers, digital
cameras and MP3 players.
The Intelligent Output Driver (IOD) uses the speed of submicron CMOS
(complementary metal oxide semiconductor) to actively mimic the
voltage-current drive characteristics of a classic driver with a source (or
series) terminator resistor. It does this in such a way that the bulk of the
current is delivered to the load capacitance non-resistively from a
reservoir capacitance maintained at a mid rail voltage, assisted by the
inherent inductance of the load. The on-chip reservoir capacitance delivers
charge on rising edges and recovers charge on falling edges thereby
recycling energy, which is conventionally wasted.
"We have had a lot of interest in IOD in recent months from right across the
electronics industry - a clear indication of just how important conserving
power has become, particularly for those developing portable battery powered
electronic devices," said Simon Payne, Adiabatic Logic's chief executive
officer. "However, now that we have working test chips that prove out the
technology at IC level we hope to be having more serious discussions with
potential partners about licensing our IOD technology."
Adiabatic Logic's IOD solution offers a multitude of other potential
benefits to IC and system developers in addition to power saving. For
example, it can reduce the overall component count and bill of material
(BOM) cost by minimising battery size, cutting DC-DC converter/thermal
management costs and eliminating the requirement for terminating resistors.
About Adiabatic Logic Limited (www.adiabaticlogic.com)
Founded in 2002, Adiabatic Logic Limited is part of the Cambridge Technology
Group and was set up to exploit a portfolio of secured patents in the low
power technology arena. Adiabatic Logic has a patented technique with the
potential to significantly reduce the power consumption of digital computer
chips, such as those found in today's laptop computers, personal digital
assistants (PDAs) and mobile phones.
The design team's focus is on creating and applying intellectual property
(IP) to exploit the concept of 'loss-less' processes. An adiabatic process
is one in which no heat is gained or lost. It is a concept normally
associated with the behaviour of gases but can be applied in other physical
domains, such as electronics. The company is based at Dry Drayton, on the
outskirts of Cambridge, England.
About the Cambridge Technology Group (www.cambridgetechgroup.com)
Cambridge Technology Group is a holding company with three wholly owned
subsidiaries - Adiabatic Logic Limited, Cambridge Technology Consultants
Limited and XJTAG Limited. Cambridge Technology Consultants
(www.camtechconsultants.com) offers its clients a broad range of services
from high-end applications to innovative product development and technical
consultancy skills. For ten years, its multi disciplinary team of hardware
and software engineers have provided cost-effective solutions from concept
through to pre-production. XJTAG Limited (www.xjtag.com) is a specialist
design and test tool developer. Its JTAG (Joint Test Action Group)
development system offers a competitive solution for designers and
developers of electronic circuits.
Media contact (to arrange interviews or for additional material, white paper
and photography):
Martin Brooke
Martin Brooke Associates
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 264050
Email: martin.brooke@mba-pr.com
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