Samsung taps xilinx for 5G beamforming

Samsung plans to use the Xilinx Versal adaptive compute acceleration platform (ACAP) in 5G New Radio (NR) gear, the companies announced today. The platform provides five times the compute density of traditional digital signal processors and enables more efficient beamforming in 5G commercial deployments, according to the chipmaker.

Xilinx says Versal ACAP devices will be generally available in Q4, but some customers with early access to the technology have already been shipping. Samsung intends to use the technology for “worldwide 5G commercial deployments,” according to Xilinx, but it declined to say if it will reach Samsung’s entire portfolio of 5G radio access network (RAN) equipment.

Samsung is a close partner with Xilinx, and the new capabilities enabled by the Versal ACAP platform will open a new era in 5G, Jaeho Jeon, EVP at Samsung’s networks division, said in a statement. Samsung expects the offering to increase 5G performance for network operators.

“Versal ACAP is the industry’s first platform to offer such a high density adaptable compute, programmable logic and high speed on-chip and off-chip interconnect to address rapidly increasing signal processing compute and memory requirements in 5G NR and beamforming applications,” said Gilles Garcia, lead director of Xilinx’ wired and wireless business.

Most beamforming today is accomplished by field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), and system-on-a-chips (SoC) in some cases, Garcia explained. “Beamforming is becoming more complex in [massive multiple-input, multiple-output] days, with many more beams to control, manipulate, and manage than in smaller traditional radios,” he wrote in response to questions.

“5G bandwidth and output power require a more efficient management of the beam” and Versal ACAP enables operators to direct a beam to a single user to deliver higher bandwidth or lower latency, based on respective service-level agreements, Garcia added.

Xilinx Struggles Compounded by 5G Delays

Xilinx announced the Versal ACAP platform in September 2019 and began sampling the technology with customers less than a year ago. Xilinx describes the technology as a software-programmable, heterogeneous compute platform that combines scalar, adaptable, and intelligent engines to deliver performance up to 20 times greater than leading FPGAs. It is targeted for data centers, wired, and 5G wireless networks.

The expanded partnership with Samsung comes barely a month after Xilinx unveiled a smartNIC that pairs an Arm-based CPU with a FPGA capable of processing 520,000 lookup tables. That offering is targeting at tier-two and tier-three cloud providers, network operators, and private cloud data centers.

Xilinx also recently cut 7% of its workforce, totaling about 300 positions, including 123 jobs in California. The company notified investors of the pending layoffs in late January and the cuts went into effect in California earlier this month. “The impact mainly came from losing much of our ability to support Huawei,” a company spokesperson told SDxCentral.

“Further complicating that has been a mix of anticipated and unanticipated near-term headwinds from a combination of program-related delays and slower global rollout of 5G infrastructure,” the spokesperson said. The job cuts impacted all departments and geographies, and no additional cuts are planned at this time, according to Xilinx.

Xilinx reported weaker sales and an outlook that failed to meet Wall Street expectations during its most recent earnings. Company stock is down almost 40% from an all-time high it reached in late April 2019.

―SDX Central