13 February 2009

Samsung W-USB Brings Short-Range Wireless Comms To CE

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., has debuted a wireless universal serial bus (W-USB) System-On-Chip (SoC) featuring an ARM core which has been designed specifically for the accelerating ultra-wideband (UWB) market.

Samsung’s W-USB SoC combines the convenience of wireless connectivity, the security level of wired USB, and the high speed performance of UWB to instantly transfer mass storage data such as digital photos, movie videos or MP3 music files between electronic devices, the company explained. To cite an example of its power, Samsung said the W-USB SoC can download a 700MB movie in approximately one minute.

Using advanced CMOS process technology and 3.1~10.6 GHz-band UWB technology, Samsung’s W-USB SoC is a single chip solution which features a built-in ARM core, a UWB physical layer, and a memory controller. It also provides an SD card, an MMC, a NAND flash memory, and a high-speed USB 2.0 OTG (On-The-Go) interface without additional logic circuitry.

Samsung expects the W-USB SoC to be applied to digital cameras and mobile phones and gradually expand to other peripheral electronic devices such as wireless printers, beam projectors, wireless hard disks, wireless displays, and wireless speakers.

“Connected consumer electronic products are the next step in enabling anytime, anywhere access to information and services,” said Dr. Yiwan Wong, vice president, System LSI Division, Samsung Electronics. “One of the keys to wireless connectivity is W-USB technology. While W-USB technology is just beginning to ramp up, its application will soon increase with the consumer electronic and mobile phone markets’ demand for wireless connectivity technology and UWB’s fast download speeds.”

Samsung’s W-USB SoC utilizes security measures which are seamless with features such as a 128 bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encryption algorithm and a static signal that makes hacking through wiretapping and signal tracing difficult.

This SoC maintains a low power consumption of less than 300mW (milliwatt), making it an ideal product for portable electronic devices, the company said.

According to the market research analysis firm In-Stat, worldwide W- USB is expected to reach US$22 million this year and increase to US$390 million in 2012, at an annual compound growth rate of over 200 percent.