Magma takes on mixed-signal SOCs

摘要

Targeting consumer applications, SOCs (systems on chips) have in recent years integrated more and more analog circuitry. The circuits in question have been not merely the unavoidable PLLs and high-speed I/Os, but also control loops and precision signal paths spanning both audio and video. This situation has forced SOC designers into the world of mixed-signal design. To date, there have been two main approaches: One is to outsource the analog-block designs, import them again as hard IP (intellectual property), and hope that they work.