Press Releases

Brazil’s Unitec licenses MIPS CPU from Imagination Technologies for a chip targeting smart cities

Imagination Technologies (IMG.L) has announced that Brazil’s Unitec Semiconductores has selected a MIPS M-class CPU as a controller in a new power management IC. It will be used in Internet of Things (IoT) smart city applications through products from Unitec Solutions, a subsidiary of Unitec Semiconductores.

The MIPS microAptiv MCU IP core is a highly-efficient, compact core ideal for microcontrollers (MCUs) and embedded applications that have real-time requirements with a high level of performance efficiency and security needs. It is the smallest, lowest power CPU family available from Imagination, and has higher performance than competing converged MCU/DSP solutions in its class.

José Vidal, Unitec’s vice-president, said: “Through our combination of semiconductors and solutions, Unitec is developing highly competitive products for smart cities, IoT, industrial applications, life sciences and other exciting areas. Our goal is to make people’s lives better through innovation. We’ve had a very positive experience with Imagination, from the high quality and performance of its MIPS CPU IP to the great support the company provides. We look forward to future strategic collaboration with Imagination.”

Says Jim Nicholas, EVP MIPS Processor IP, Imagination: “Many factors are coming together in Brazil including ecosystem development, industrial policies and the emergence of new growth markets such as IoT and smart cities, which are all combining to create a great opportunity for semiconductor enterprises. MIPS M-class CPUs are ideally suited for many embedded CPU applications, and we’re delighted that an innovative company like Unitec has selected MIPS for its forthcoming chip.”

The MIPS family of CPU IP is a comprehensive portfolio of low-power, high-efficiency 32/64-bit processor architectures and cores, ranging from the ultimate high-performance cores for high-end applications processors down to extremely small cores for deeply embedded microcontrollers.

With a strong position in home entertainment, embedded, and networking products, MIPS CPUs power billions of products around the globe, and are supported by an ecosystem of commercial and open source software, operating systems and tools.

Unitec Semicondutores is said to be the biggest semiconductor fab in the Southern Hemisphere. Located in Brazil, the company is working to improve the technology sectors in the country and in Latin America. Unitec has wide capability to design and develop products by acting in the whole integrated circuits production process for smart cities, smartcards, industrial applications and life sciences.

The company has IoT as an important business focus for its technologies. Unitec’s shareholders include the Brazilian National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES), Corporación America, Minas Gerais Development Bank (BDMG), IBM Corporation, Matec and WS In Tecs.

Imagination’s range of silicon IP (intellectual property) includes the key processing blocks needed to create the SoCs (Systems on Chips) that power mobile, consumer and embedded electronics. Its licensees include many leading semiconductor manufacturers, network operators and OEMs/ODMs.

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