The fifth-generation wireless technology is pushing immense potential for technology companies that are developing smart and connected products, as well as semiconductor fabs producing processors utilized in these devices. Back in 2019, the unleash of 5G was believed to be the doorway to IoT connectivity, edge technologies, and automation. Now, top-notch devices that are used in this standard would need fabs to produce high performance wafers coupled with huge capacity for storage and memory. The growth of 5G Technology is quite evident and it is now review film multi-billion-dollar market, which according to experts is speculated to turn USD 277 Billion by 2025, registering a CAGR of 111%.
Hence, various semiconductor companies including industrial equipment makers, telecom tycoons, electronics manufacturing companies, etc. are joining the league. Numerous global semiconductor companies such as MediaTek, Qualcomm, Samsung, Huawei, Unisoc, and Intel have unveiled sophisticated 5G chipsets that would take the future of technology to the next level.
India has also joined the league. A couple of weeks back, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) in association with WiSig announced a new 5G cellular chipset, dubbed ‘Koala’, which is a Narrowband Internet-of-Things System-on-Chip (NB-IoT SoC). The chipset has been designed exclusively by Cyient, an Indian-based global technology company. Earlier, back in October 2019, IIT Hyderabad also unveiled a low power chip that can offer high-level computation with constraint power consumption. Previously, we have also discussed how fabless semiconductors can help ESDM in India, you can check that out if you are interested.
Unique Technologies Furnished in Koala
Now, speaking of the unique technologies used while developing Koala, Andrew Smith, Head – Semiconductor Business, Cyient, told exclusively to CircuitDigest, “NB-IoT is a 5G massive Machine-Type-Communication (MTC) technology that enables low-bit rate IoT applications and extends device battery life up to 10 years. We developed the Koala chipset by combining wireless technologies on one chip (NB-IoT and GNSS) with embedded switching power management functions to enhance the overall power efficiency of the system. Further, the SoC has been developed with a shared modem hardware to optimize its cost.”