(keitai-l) Re: Keitai components

The semiconductor companies that I have spoken to are pretty vague about the
where their chips end up. There seems to be two distinct business models for
chips in phones: licensing and OEM. Everyone knows that ARM is the biggest
supplier of core processors for mobile phones, but how do you explain the fact
that Texus Instruments is the largest supplier of actual DSP chips for mobile
phones? TI actually licenses the ARM core for its DSPs, like most of the DSP
makers also license the core processor design from ARM.

So there is the IC design that can be sold to another company to integrate it
into their own chip design (ARM for TI's DSPs for example). Then there is the
model where the company, such as ARM, sells the complete core inside their own
packaging to a mobile phone operator to put in a phone (not into another chip
design). Most 3G phones are talking about 2 processors. One DSP, which might
already include an ARM core for handling the basic phone features (UI,
messaging, calendering, etc.) and another processor, dubbed "applications
processor," which can also be an ARM processor, to handle more advance features
(video or MP3 for example).

While ARM currently dominates the market, Intel is making a run into the market
with their StrongARM chip, which they brought off Compaq/DEC. Intel wants the
StrongARM to become THE "applications processor" on phones. They also have
another strategy, calling PCA, which address the integrated DSP chip (in
partnership with National Semiconductor - or whatever they are called now).

Other names with offering for advanced DSPs - Motorola (using their own
DragonBall core) and Infineon (they have their own core too I think). There are
probably many others that I've missed.

Some of the lesser silicon inside a phone, such as the analog decoders, modems,
memory, etc, usually come in their own packaging and are made by a host of
other manufacturers. These are commoditized parts as far as I know and it
really doesn't matter where they come from.

Each chipmaker has its proposed solution, but so does each phone maker. So will
take the chipmaker's proposal and implement it whole, others have their own
specifications (to use one or two processors to provide or deprive this or that
feature on their products) and source components accordingly.

And yes, power and heat are obvious considerations when phone makers select
their specs. Would be interesting to find out what NEC and Panasonic have used
inside their FOMA handsets.





Michael Turner wrote:

> This could be a smokescreen for the reverse-engineers.
> It could also be second sourcing of parts, which makes
> them more marketable.  Or the pretense of second-
> sourcing.  And for all we know, a lot of the
> chips in a mobile phone in Japan were designed
> elsewhere.  Chip labels?  It's all just ink -- a very
> inexpensive communications technology which
> historically has been used to express the truth, the
> whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me G--
> [lightning bolt chars his fingers beyond recognition.]
>
> I'd help solve this mystery, but my scanning electron
> microscope is in the shop for repairs.
>
> Not to mention that I'm typing this with my nose, now
>
> -michael turner
> leap@gol.com
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Kyle Barrow" <kyle@X-9.com>
> To: <keitai-l@appelsiini.net>
> Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2001 8:50 AM
> Subject: (keitai-l) Re: Keitai components
>
> > It looks like the same chips with different names depending on what
> > phones they where destined to end up in although I would need to confirm
> > this.
> >
> >
> > Kyle
> >
> >
> > X-9 DESIGN LAB
> > http://www.X-9.com
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> >
> > Are you saying that they put different brand names on identical chips,
> > or that they make several different chips and brand them with the names
> > of the companies that designed them?  It would make sense to me that
> > chips are printed with the name of the company that designs them, not
> > the manufacturer.
> >
> >
> >
> > [ Need archives? How to unsubscribe? http://www.appelsiini.net/keitai-l/ ]
> >
> >
>
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