Advanced AP for Wearables
On Oct. 11, Samsung Electronics announced that the company will roll out the Exynos 7279, an AP exclusively for wearable devices created using a 14-nano FinFET process for the first time in the semiconductor industry.
Samsung Electronics enhanced the competitiveness of prices and performances of APs for wearable devices after value models for mobile devices early this year by expanding the scope of the application of the 14-nano process which had been applied to premium mobile APs only. The Exynos 7270, based on the dual core Cortex-A53, is characterized by an increase of more than 20 percent in energy efficiency compared to current 28-nano products.
This product integrates a Cat. 4 LTE modem and various connectivity functions such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM radio and the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) on a single chip. So this product can offer convenient functions via telecommunication networks on its own.
In addition, package technology minimizes system space, ramping up the sizes of batteries and ultimately making wearable devices last longer. The application of SiP-ePoP technology, which puts APs, DRAMs, NAND flash and even power management integrated circuits (PMICs) in a single package empowers the new product to realize more functions on the same 100 mm2 of space and reduce the height of the package by 30 percent compared to previous models.
Besides, Samsung Electronics has enabled wearable device manufacturers to develop products faster and more conveniently by offering a reference development platform made up of APs, near field communication (NFC) and various sensors to them.
On the other hand, according to IC Insights, a market survey company, the market of semiconductors for the IoT, including those for wearable devices, will grow to US$ 29.6 billion in 2019 from US$ 15.4 billion last year.