Sondrel has launched its fourth IP reference platform, the quad-channel SFA 350A that has been architected for ISO 26262 automotive functional safety. Designed for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), the ADAS ASIC platform can be used in applications such as collision avoidance, detection of crossing the central white line, and gathering 3D information via a pair of cameras.
The SFA 350A IP reference platform offers four channels for sensors that can be either passive, such as optical via camera inputs or active using laser or radar. This makes it a cost-effective solution compared to having a dedicated, one-channel chip for each sensor, said Sondrel.
The SFA 350A IP reference platform is part of Sondrel’s semi-custom platform approach, called Architecting the future, which is designed to reduce design costs and time to market by up to 30%, according to the company. With this approach, Sondrel adds the customer’s IP with “some customization” to create a solution for their application, while cutting overall design costs and providing a tested platform.
Designed to be scalable due to its framework architecture design, this enables the processor units for the chip’s four channels to be selected according to the processing power required by the application without needing to change the interconnects and I/O to the rest of the chip. The architecture offers several processing options for compute CPU, signal DSP, and CNN/RNN NPU.
Sondrel SFA 350A block diagram (Image: Sondrel)
This modular approach enables more powerful solutions by ganging identical SFA 300 quad-core chips to form a cluster, which is less expensive than creating a similar solution on one multi-channel chip, said Sondrel.
Other features include scalable LPDDR4+ (x4 lane 64 GB/s) or LPDDR5 (x8 lane 128 GB/s) memory, support for custom logic, and communications via dual redundant links based on standard protocols such as Ethernet or PCIe. The solution also incorporates a safety (FuSa) and secure (crypto, anti-intrusion) subsystem. The SoC is ASIL B compliant with the ASIL C/D compliant subsystem for functional safety management.
Sondrel SFA 350A system level switch fabric. Click for a larger image. (Image: Sondrel)
Sondrel offers a full turnkey service from design to silicon. The company can estimate costs for design, IP licensing, foundry, test, qualification, and packaging through to the total cost per unit.
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