Ceva unveils ultra-wideband platform IP

CEVA, a licensor of wireless connectivity and smart sensing technologies, has unveiled RivieraWaves UWB, a power-efficient ultra-wideband (UWB) turnkey MAC and PHY platform intellectual property (IP).

Compliant with the IEEE 802.15.4z standard and in accordance with the FiRa consortium specifications, the RivieraWaves UWB platform IP delivers secure, centimetre-level accuracy and robust location information through Time-of-Flight (ToF) ranging and Angle-of-Arrival (AoA) processing.

Extending CEVA’s wireless connectivity IP portfolio for IoT devices, the RivieraWaves UWB platform IP is intended for a broad range of ultra-low power applications and products such as tags for pinpoint asset finding, secure digital key functionality for door locks, real-time location services (RTLS) and payment systems.

UWB is experiencing explosive growth fueled by its recent adoption in leading smartphone brands, with ABI Research forecasting annual shipments of nearly 1 billion devices by 2025.

Aimed at lowering the entry barrier and accelerating time-to-market, the RivieraWaves UWB platform IP consists of a power-optimised hardware PHY along with a flexible, low latency hardware and software MAC layer. The MAC layer software can be implemented on the CEVA-BX1 DSP when deployed in combination with other connectivity workloads or modes such as direction finding, localization or radar, or as a standalone UWB MAC on commercial Arm and RISC-V MCUs.

A flexible radio interface enables the RivieraWaves UWB platform IP to be deployed with customers’ own RF technology or with CEVA partners’ RF IP. In addition, the RivieraWaves UWB platform IP is designed for ultra-low power use-cases, offering best-in-class performance and cost-efficiency, particularly when combined with RivieraWaves Bluetooth IP. This unique combined IP offering is an industry-first and addresses emerging applications and use cases that leverage both standards.

Ange Aznar, Vice President and General Manager of the Wireless IoT Business Unit at CEVA, commented: “Demand for UWB technology is at an all-time high, driven by emerging use cases in smartphones, accessories and other consumer and IoT devices. Our RivieraWaves UWB platform IP addresses this burgeoning market by offering a licensable solution that lowers the entry barrier for companies looking to leverage this technology in their chip designs.”