Reading this press release from STMicroelectronics, it's easy to get caught up in the wonderous world of microns and technobabble. But hidden in the press release (which essentially just talks about how they've been improving the chipset over the years, and have shipped over 10 million units) are some gems that hint towards the arrival of XM's 4G chipset.
If you're into chipsets and stuff like that, read on after the jump. Otherwise just skip this post.
So anyway, let's try to decode (ho! ho! I kill myself!) this beautifully written press release and break it down into layspeak as much as possible:
* STMicroelectronics manufactures baseband decoders (chips) for XM's manufacturers. Ok great.
* These are known as System-on-Chip (SoC) products. They bring together all the functions needed to manufacture an XM Radio receiver. With me so far?
* Back in 2001, the baseband decoders were actually two chips in a 0.25-micron size. (1G)
* 2.5 Million of these chipsets were originally shipped, followed by 4 Million in a smaller 0.18-micron version. (2G)
* For over a year now, and 4 Million units later, ST has been shipping these devices in a single-chip, 0.13-micron version. (3G)
Now ST has said they're starting deliveries of their new "System-in Package" product (remember SoC? System-on-Chip? Well, this is System-in-Package. It's more gooder.). This new SiC shrinks down the functions of the XM receiver into highly integrated components of "a monolithic front-end IC and a multifunction system microcontroller." Smells like 4G to me.
In other words, this new System-In-Package chipset is smaller, cheaper, and packs more functions. If they're SHIPPING now, that means we can expect new - smaller - units sometime in the near future. By the end of this year? I doubt it (but who knows). I'd say by the 2006 CES show.
Thanks cb!
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