Intellect-Partners

Categories
Computer Science

Inside LPDDR5: Driving Forces of 5G and AI Revolution

Understanding LPDDR5: Powering the 5G and AI Revolution:

In the ever-evolving landscape of innovation, the combination of 5G and artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force, reshaping enterprises and empowering developments that were previously unimaginable. Vital to this combination is the role of LPDDR5 (Low Power Double Data Rate 5) memory, a state-of-the-art memory innovation that assumes an essential part in supporting the high-performance demands of 5G and artificial intelligence applications. This blog entry dives into the meaning of LPDDR5 in these spaces, investigates its future patterns, and analyzes the most recent improvements in its intellectual property (IP).

LPDDR5 Overview

LPDDR5 is the fifth generation of low-power, high-performance memory planned essentially for smartphones. It is a development of its ancestor, LPDDR4x, with critical enhancements as far as information rate, power effectiveness, and generally execution. LPDDR5 offers quicker information move rates, lower power utilization, and larger memory capacities compared to its predecessors, settling on it an ideal decision for applications requesting high data transfer capacity and low latency.

Role in 5G

The rollout of 5G networks has introduced another time of availability, empowering lightning-quick information move rates and super low inactivity. To completely tackle the capability of 5G, memory devices should be equipped with memory advances fit for taking care of the expanded data loads and rapid communication among memory devices and edge servers. LPDDR5, with its upgraded information rates and further developed energy proficiency, addresses these requests by giving the important memory data transfer capacity and responsiveness for 5G-empowered gadgets.

Enabling AI Applications

Artificial intelligence applications, including AI and neural networks, require enormous measures of data processing and storage capabilities. LPDDR5’s high information move rates and bigger memory limits add to accelerating AI tasks by giving the fundamental memory resources to putting away and controlling information during preparation and inference processes. This is critical for AI-driven functionalities-driven functionalities in gadgets, for example, smartphones, smart cameras, and IoT gadgets.

Future Trends in LPDDR5 Technology

Data Rate Advancements

The journey for higher data rates proceeds, as innovation organizations endeavor to push the limits of memory execution. LPDDR5 is supposed to see further iterations that proposition considerably quicker information move rates, empowering consistent 5G network and improved AI performance.

Energy Efficiency

While LPDDR5 as of now offers amazing energy, effectiveness contrasted with its predecessors, progressing research and development efforts aim to diminish power utilization considerably further. This is especially significant for broadening the battery duration of gadgets, particularly with regards to power-hungry 5G and AI workloads.

Integration with On-Device AI

As AI capabilities are coordinated straightforwardly into devices, LPDDR5 will assume a critical part in supporting on-gadget artificial intelligence errands. This includes not just giving the memory resources to AI operations but also improving memory access examples to upgrade general artificial intelligence execution.

LPDDR5 IP Developments and Legal Considerations  

WCK Clocking in LPDDR5

LPDDR5 uses a DDR data interface. The data interface uses two differential forwarded clocks (WCK_t/WCK_c) that are source synchronous to the DQs. DDR means that the data is registered at every rising edge of WCK_t and rising edge of WCK_c. WCK_t and WCK_c operate at twice or quadruple the frequency of the command/address clock (CK_t/CK_c).

Low Power Double Data Rate
(LPDDR) 5/5X
https://www.jedec.org/sites/default/files/docs/JESD209-5C.pdf

IP Landscape of LPDDR5

The intellectual property landscape for LPDDR5 innovation is dynamic and advancing. Organizations in the semiconductor industry are continuously creating and licensing developments connected with LPDDR5 memory configuration, fabricating processes, and related advancements. Licensing agreements and cross-licensing arrangements assume a vital part in permitting organizations to get to and use these IP resources.

Patent Challenges and Litigations  

With the rising competitive nature of the innovation business, patent disputes and litigations can emerge. Organizations should be cautious in surveying the potential infringement risks related to LPDDR5-related technologies and ought to participate in due diligence before creating items to stay away from legal complications.

Licensing Strategies  

Licensing LPDDR5-related IP is a typical methodology for organizations to get to the innovation without wasting time. Licensing arrangements frame the terms under which an organization can utilize licensed innovations, and they might include royalty payments or other monetary considerations. Developing a sound licensing procedure is fundamental to guarantee that organizations can use LPDDR5 innovation while regarding IP rights. Intel Corp. holds a maximum number of patents followed by Samsung and Micron.

Patent legal status over time

Conclusion

The integration of 5G and AI is revolutionizing businesses and changing the manner in which we connect with technology. LPDDR5 memory technology remains as a basic empowering influence of this change, giving the high-performance memory capabilities expected to help the requests of 5G network and AI applications. As LPDDR5 innovation keeps on developing, with headways in information rates and energy productivity, it will be interesting to observe how it shapes the future of mobile devices, IoT, and other AI-driven advancements. Organizations should likewise explore the complex landscape of LPDDR5-related intellectual property, going with informed choices to cultivate advancement while mitigating legal risks. The journey ahead guarantees invigorating improvements at the crossing point of LPDDR5, 5G, and artificial intelligence, with profound implications for innovation and society alike.

Categories
Computer Science

Understanding UFS WriteBooster: The Power Behind Enhanced Memory Performance

SIGNIFICANCE OF WRITEBOOSTER IN UFS

A flash storage specification for digital cameras, cell phones, and other consumer electronics is called Universal Flash Storage (UFS). The 8-lane parallel and half-duplex LVDS interface of eMMCs cannot scale to larger bandwidths as well as the full-duplex serial LVDS interface implemented by UFS. The UFS standard was updated to version 3.1 by JEDEC in January 2020, adding features including Write Booster, Deep Sleep, Performance Throttling Notification, and Host Performance Booster. The significance of WriteBooster mode in UFS and its application to enhancing memory performance will be covered in this essay.

What is WriteBooster mode?

This feature enables UFS storage devices to use a portion of the flash as a pseudo-SLC cache to increase writing performance. This feature enhances the write performance of UFS storage devices, making them faster and more effective, while creating a reserve memory in the flash storage that is easily and frequently accessible. It uses very little space (only 1 bit of data in each cell). Additionally, WriteBooster is a more affordable option that offers comparable performance advantages.

Operation process of WriteBooster mode

The WriteBooster mode in UFS devices operates as follows:

Pseudo SLC Cache

When using WriteBooster mode, flash storage is created with a reserve memory that serves as a pseudo-SLC cache. In the flash storage, this cache is designed to serve as a frequently accessible reserve memory. Just 1 bit of data is stored in each cell, taking up extremely little space while improving write performance.

Write Acceleration

Data is first written to the WriteBooster mode-created pseudo-SLC cache before being written to the UFS storage device. As opposed to writing directly to the flash memory, writing to this cache is quicker. The device can swiftly complete write operations and move on to other activities thanks to the cache’s function as a buffer.

Background Flushing

In the background, the information kept in the pseudo-SLC cache is periodically flushed to the flash memory. By doing this, you may retain the device’s rapid write rates for following operations while also making sure the data is permanently recorded in the flash memory.

Benefits for Performance

WriteBooster mode enhances the write performance of UFS devices by utilizing the pseudo-SLC cache. As a result, write speeds increase, which can speed up application launch, cache loading, browsing performance, and encoding times. Additionally, the feature enhances the responsiveness and general performance of the system.   

NOTE: It’s important to keep in mind that the exact UFS device and how it’s implemented may affect whether WriteBooster mode can be enabled or disabled. Disabling WriteBooster mode would result in write operations proceeding as normal writes, without utilizing the pseudo-SLC cache.  

Benefits of WriteBooster mode

There are a number of advantages to WriteBooster mode being used with UFS:

Faster Write Speeds

Using a pseudo-SLC cache, WriteBooster mode on UFS devices increases write speeds. Because of the cache, write operations can be completed more quickly, which decreases the amount of time the device needs to be active. The device can reach low-power modes as a result more quickly, increasing power efficiency.

Better Memory Management

By using a piece of the flash as a fictitious SLC cache, WriteBooster mode in UFS improves memory management. Because of the cache, write operations can be completed more quickly, which decreases the amount of time the device needs to be active. The device can reach low-power modes as a result more quickly, increasing power efficiency.

Affordable Alternative

WriteBooster mode in UFS offers comparable performance advantages to pSLC Write Buffer at a lesser price. As a result, it offers a viable option for enhancing memory performance in UFS devices.

Impact of WriteBooster mode on UFS’s power usage

The following ways that WriteBooster mode in UFS affects power usage:

Power Efficiency

By streamlining the writing process, UFS’ Write Booster mode helps to increase power efficiency. The device can write data more quickly and cut down on the time needed for write operations by using a pseudo-SLC cache. As a result, write operations consume less power since the device can perform them more rapidly and effectively.

Deep Sleep Mode

In addition to WriteBooster mode, UFS 3.1 also introduces the Deep Sleep feature. By using voltage regulators for storage and other purposes in addition to power reduction, deep sleep mode reduces energy usage. This improves overall power efficiency by enabling the device to use less power when it is idle or in low-power modes.   

Effective Memory Management

Using a piece of the flash as a fictitious SLC cache, WriteBooster mode in UFS improves memory management. Because of the cache, write operations can be completed more quickly, which decreases the amount of time the device needs to be active. The device can reach low-power modes as a result more quickly, increasing power efficiency.

Overall, WriteBooster mode in UFS reduces power usage through write process optimization, the use of a pseudo-SLC cache, and the addition of features like Deep Sleep mode. Through these improvements, devices can write operations more quickly and use less power whether they are idle or in low-power states.

Intellectual property trends for WriteBooster mode in UFS

WriteBooster mode in UFS is witnessing rapid growth in patent filing trends across the globe. Over the past few years, the number of patent applications almost doubled every two years.    

MICRON is a dominant player in the market with ~3282 patents. So far, it has 2 times more patents than Samsung.

Other key players who have filed for patents in UFS technology with SLC NAND are Sk Hynix, Sandisk, Western Digital etc.  

Following are the trends of publication and their legal status over time:

trends of publication and their legal status over time

These Top 10 companies own around 60% of total patents related to UFS. The below diagram shows these companies have built strong IPMoats in US jurisdiction.  

Conclusion

In conclusion, WriteBooster mode is a crucial component of UFS that boosts write speeds to enhance memory performance. Faster write rates, a pseudo-SLC cache that is easily and repeatedly accessible reserve memory in the flash storage, and a cost-effective solution that offers comparable performance benefits as pSLC Write Buffer are only a few advantages of the implementation of WriteBooster mode in UFS. The significance of UFS’ WriteBooster mode will only increase as mobile devices become more potent and feature-rich. Although Write Booster mode’s effectiveness on UFS devices may vary depending on the specific device, the function is intended to increase write speeds and memory performance, which leads to quicker app startup times, quicker file transfers, and greater system responsiveness.  

Categories
Computer Science

Exploring Wi-Fi 7 Technology: A Detailed Breakdown of Features and Advancements

What is Wi-Fi 7 technology:

In the IT industry, Wi-Fi technology is evolving at a high level. The demand for Wi-Fi technology is increasing day by day everywhere in our daily lives, such as homes, schools, colleges, public Wi-Fi, etc. Even it can be seen in our digital devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, computers, etc. Wi-Fi is not only limited to using the internet, it can be used for sharing or transferring data efficiently at higher rates from one device to another devices wirelessly. Wi-Fi allows users to access the internet and transfer data to multiple devices simultaneously using a single Wi-Fi router.

From 1997 to 2023 see Figure 1, Wi-Fi technology is evolving and adding new features in terms of speeds, bandwidth, and channels based on the demands. Researchers are still working on inventions to improve Wi-Fi technology. Starting from 802.11a to 802.11ax, many amendments were made by researchers to improve performance and features. The OFDMA was first introduced in 802.11ax standard also known as Wi-Fi 6 with 6-GHz band in Wi-Fi 6E. 

History of Wi-Fi
Figure 1: History of Wi-Fi

Different Terms or Features of Wi-Fi 7:

Data Rate: 

One of the major advantages of the Wi-Fi 7 is the high data rate that claims up to 46Gbps which is 4 times faster than Wi-Fi 6E, Currently the Wi-Fi 6E has a 9.6Gbps very low data rate. In Wi-Fi data rate is the amount of data transmitted through the network in a given amount of time. It refers to the rate at which data is exchanged between devices or between a computer and a peripheral device. More the data rate higher the data transmission speed.

Due to the higher data rate users can access high-speed internet, video streaming in 8K, cloud gaming, and wirelessly transfer large data files from one computer to the computer in a very short time. So, this is the reason why Wi-Fi 7 is needed for the future.

Figure 2 compares the data rate of the prior Wi-Fi versions with Wi-Fi 7.

compares the data rate of the prior Wi-Fi versions with Wi-Fi 7.
Figure 2: Wi-Fi Data Rates

Channel Bandwidth:

In Wi-Fi 7 the channel bandwidth is also increased to 320MHz. Whereas existing Wi-Fi 6E only supports 160MHz only which is twice than Wi-Fi 7 channel bandwidth. Channel Bandwidth also plays a major role in Wi-Fi technology to deliver massive throughput and high-speed data transmission, the wider the channel more data can be packed and transmitted simultaneously.

In this, the 320MHz channel bandwidth can easily work on the 6GHz band and 160MHz on the 5GHz band. On the other hand, in Wi-Fi 6E 160MHz channel can only work on the 6GHz band due to which it cannot able to transfer data simultaneously at high speed but Wi-Fi 7 can solve this problem.

Figure 3 shows the comparison of channel bandwidth for Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 6E. 

shows the comparison of channel bandwidth for Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 6E
Figure 3: Channel Bandwidth

Antenna Technology: 

Wi-Fi 7 supports uplink plus downlink 16X16 MU-MIMO (multi-user – multiple input and multiple outputs) to provide double stream and double capacity. It includes multiple antennas as compared to Wi-Fi 6E to provide multiple user uplink and downlink data transmission simultaneously and smoothly, this technology doubles the physical transmission rate with 16 spatial streams.

This feature also allows an access point to communicate simultaneously with multiple user equipment, it reduces the time to wait for the signal for each device which helps to increase the network speed. On the other hand Wi-Fi 6E 8X8 UL or DL MU-MIMO.

4K-QAM:

The Wi-Fi 7 features 4K-QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation). The QAM in wireless technology converts the digital signal into an analog signal. Higher QAM increases the peak rates. The QAM is four times higher than the Wi-Fi 6, that is 1K-QAM, 4K-QAM also adapts the higher-order modulation scheme, it can carry 12 bits per symbol which means in Wi-Fi transmission rate is 20% higher than the Wi-Fi.

This also allows 8K video streaming, live streaming, non-stop cloud gaming, etc.

Multi-RU: 

The Wi-Fi 7 assigns multiple RU (resource unit) to a single user to send and receive data frames simultaneously which increases the transmission efficiency. On the other hand, Wi-Fi 6 can only assign a single resource unit to transmit or receive data frames which reduces the efficiency as well as flexibility. Figure 4, shows the Multi-RU comparison with the Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7.

shows the Multi-RU comparison with the Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7
Figure 4: Multi-RU in Wi-Fi 7

Preamble Puncturing: 

This feature in Wi-Fi 7 allows transmission of the punctured portion of the channel if the channel is busy by other users. For example, if the user equipment communicates over the 320MHz channel but uses only the 20MHz channel, the remaining channel will be reused to other user devices by transmitting the punctured signal. This prevents the wastage of unused channels and opens more channels to be used by other user devices based on the channel requirements. Figure 5 shows the example of the preamble and non-preamble puncturing.

shows the example of the preamble and non-preamble puncturing
Figure 5: Preamble and Non-Preamble Puncturing

Multi-Link Operation: 

The Wi-Fi supports multiple bands that are 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz. In Wi-Fi 7 the devices are capable of transmitting and receiving over multiple links simultaneously at different frequency bands. In simple words the devices can use multiple frequency bands simultaneously for data transmission, this increases throughput, latency reduction, improving reliability for 8K video streaming, AR/VR, cloud gaming, etc.

On the other hand, Wi-Fi 6E can support 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz frequency bands, however, it cannot simultaneously use frequency bands for data transmission, the devices can use a single frequency band at a time for data transmission (i.e. uses a single link).

Current Wi-Fi 6 technology:

Limitation of Wi-Fi 6E:

The current Wi-Fi 6 technology is still not able to meet the requirements of the users in terms of speed and performance. So, the researchers already started working on the new Wi-Fi technology known as the Wi-Fi 7 which claims that it is 4 times faster than the current Wi-Fi 6 technology, has lower latencies, increased network capacity to support more devices and users, and can provide more performance. The Wi-Fi 7 works on 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands. Many companies like Qualcomm, Intel, and TP-Link have already started working on the Wi-Fi 7 technology. Moreover, TP-Link and already launched their Mesh Router with Wi-Fi 7 support having Qualcomm Wi-Fi 7 chipset, and IEEE standard 802.11be is also published on the IEEE standard.

WiFi 6E is already in the current market and playing a big role in wireless communication but still, there are many disadvantages such as lower speed, latency issues, network capacity issues, channel utilization issues, bandwidth issues, etc. So, to improve these given problems Wi-Fi 7 was announced which can able to solve the given problems in the future. Technically, there are some main features described as compared to the current Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E technologies. In the real world Wi-Fi 7 claims to provide advantage to users in augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality, video streaming in 8K, video conferencing and casting simultaneously, cloud high definition gaming, etc.

IEEE 802.11be as WIFI 7:

The Wi-Fi 7 (also known as IEEE 802.11be) is already in the testing phase to provide much more advantages and is expected to be officially released in 2024. Many companies already launched their products such as TP-Link Mesh Router, Qualcomm Wi-Fi 7 chipsets, etc. Companies including Intel are already working on Wi-Fi 7, and Xiaomi is also working on Wi-Fi 7 to bring their Wi-Fi 7-enabled smartphone. Many researchers and inventors are also working on Wi-Fi 7 by adding features and improvements. As we saw based on the demand, new technology is continuously coming in the public.

References:

https://www.qualcomm.com/products/technology/wi-fi/wi-fi-7

https://www.intel.in/content/www/in/en/products/docs/wireless/wi-fi-7.html

https://www.tp-link.com/in/wifi7/

https://www.wired.com/story/what-is-wi-fi-7/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11be

https://www.commscope.com/press-releases/2023/commscope-enters-wi-fi-7-retail-market-with-launch-of-surfboard-g54-docsis-3.1-quad-band-wi-fi-7-cable-modem-at-ces/

https://www.commscope.com/insights/the-enterprise-source/wi-fi-7-should-i-stay-or-should-i-go/

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/difference-between-bandwidth-and-data-rate/