According to recently discovered shipping manifests, Intel is developing a new processor series codenamed "Wildcat Lake," potentially succeeding their entry-level "Intel Processor" lineup based on Alder Lake-N. The documents, revealed by x86deadandback, suggest a 2025 launch timeline for these chips targeting lightweight laptops and mini-PCs. The shipping records from October 30 mention CPU reball equipment compatible with BGA 1516 sockets, measuring 35 x 25 mm, indicating early validation testing is underway. These processors are expected to be manufactured using Intel's advanced 18A process technology, sharing the same manufacturing node as the upcoming Panther Lake series. Early technical specifications of Wildcat Lake point to a hybrid architecture combining next-generation "Cougar Cove" performance cores with "Darkmont" low-power efficiency (LPE) cores in a 2P+4LPE configuration.

This design appears to separate the core clusters, departing from traditional shared ring bus arrangements, similar to the approach taken in Intel's Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake processors. While Wildcat Lake's exact position in Intel's product stack remains unclear, it could serve as a modernized replacement for the what were Pentium and Celeron processor families. These chips traditionally power devices like Chromebooks, embedded systems, and home servers, with the new series potentially offering significant performance improvements for these market segments. The processor is expected to operate in the sub-double-digit TDP power envelope, positioning it below the more powerful Lunar Lake series. Graphics capabilities will likely be more modest than Lunar Lake's Xe2 architecture, aligning with its entry-level market positioning.

Infineon Technologies AG today announced the addition of the EZ-USB FX20 programmable USB peripheral controller to its EZ-USB product family. It enables developers to create USB devices that meet the highest performance requirements in AI, image processing and emerging applications. The EZ-USB FX20 peripheral controller offers high-speed connectivity with USB 20 Gbps and LVDS interfaces, increasing the total bandwidth up to six times over its predecessor, the EZ-USB FX3.

"With the growing popularity of USB devices, the demand for compatible and adaptable USB controllers is increasing," said Ganesh Subramaniam, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Wired Connectivity Solutions Product Line at Infineon. "Therefore, we are continuously improving the features and performance of our EZ-USB peripheral controllers and are pleased to support developers with our new addition to the product family, providing them with a flexible component to create powerful and advanced applications."

In case you missed it, AMD's new madcap enthusiast silicon engineering effort, the "Strix Halo," is real, and comes with the Ryzen AI Max 300 series branding. These are chiplet-based mobile processors with one or two "Zen 5" CCDs—same ones found in "Granite Ridge" desktop processors—paired with a large SoC die that has an oversized iGPU. This arrangement lets AMD give the processor up to 16 full-sized "Zen 5" CPU cores, and an iGPU with as many as 40 RDNA 3.5 compute units (2,560 stream processors), and a 256-bit LPDDR5/x memory interface for UMA.

"Strix Halo" is designed for ultraportable gaming notebooks or mobile workstations where low PCB footprint is of the essence, and discrete GPU is not an option. For enthusiast gaming notebooks with discrete GPUs, AMD is designing the "Fire Range" processor, which is essentially a mobile BGA version of "Granite Ridge," and a successor to the Ryzen 7045 series "Dragon Range." The Ryzen AI Max series has three models based on CPU and iGPU CU counts—the Ryzen AI Max 395+ (16-core/32-thread with 40 CU), the Ryzen AI Max 390 (12-core/24-thread with 40 CU), and the Ryzen AI Max 385 (8-core/16-thread, 32 CU). An alleged Ryzen AI Max 390 engineering sample surfaced on the Geekbench AI benchmark online database.

Apparently the AMD "Strix Halo" processor is real, and it's large. The chip is designed to square off against the likes of the Apple M3 Pro and M3 Max, in letting ultraportable notebooks have powerful graphics performance. A chiplet-based processor, not unlike the desktop socketed "Raphael," and mobile BGA "Dragon Range," the "Strix Halo" processor consists of one or two CCDs containing CPU cores, wired to a large die, that's technically the cIOD (client I/O die), but containing an oversized iGPU, and an NPU. The point behind "Strix Halo" is to eliminate the need for a performance-segment discrete GPU, and conserve its PCB footprint.

According to leaks by Harukaze5719, a reliable source with AMD leaks, "Strix Halo" comes in a BGA package dubbed FP11, measuring 37.5 mm x 45 mm, which is significantly larger than the 25 mm x 40 mm size of the FP8 BGA package that the regular "Strix Point," "Hawk Point," and "Phoenix" mobile processors are built on. It is larger in area than the 40 mm x 40 mm FL1 BGA package of "Dragon Range" and upcoming "Fire Range" gaming notebook processors. "Strix Halo" features one or two of the same 4 nm "Zen 5" CCDs featured on the "Granite Ridge" desktop and "Fire Range" mobile processors, but connected to a much larger I/O die, as we mentioned.

Exascend, a service-oriented provider of innovative storage and memory solutions, today unveiled its AS500 series NVMe Ball Grid Array solid state drive (BGA SSD). Engineered to address the demanding data storage requirements of next-generation connected and autonomous vehicles, the AS500 combines exceptional endurance with virtualization capabilities in an ultra-compact BGA form factor.

"The immense data demands of autonomous driving, infotainment systems, digital cockpits and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) require ruggedized storage solutions capable of withstanding extreme automotive conditions," said Frank Chen, CEO of Exascend. "The AS500 BGA SSD delivers sustained performance and virtualization support, offering automakers a compact, robust and power-efficient storage solution for in-vehicle deployments. We're particularly proud that the innovative AS500 series recently took home a Best in Show honor at Embedded World 2024."

Greenliant is now sampling its new NVMe NANDrive ball grid array (BGA) solid state drives (SSDs) to customers requiring reliable, high performance data storage for embedded systems used in high stress, extreme environments. Operating between -40 and +95 degrees Celsius, NVMe NANDrive SSDs support the PCIe Gen3x4 interface and are built in an industry standard M.2 1620 (16 x 20 mm, 291-ball) package. See NVMe NANDrive information at https://bit.ly/NVMe-BGA-SSD.

"Building on our proven track record with PATA, SATA and eMMC NANDrive, Greenliant delivers another outstanding high reliability BGA SSD, now with the high speed PCIe NVMe interface, and features that meet the requirements of the most demanding applications," said Arthur Kroyan, vice president, business development and marketing, Greenliant."

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation ("Silicon Motion"), a global leader in designing and marketing NAND flash controllers for solid-state storage devices, today introduced the new generation FerriSSD NVMe PCIe Gen 4 x4 BGA SSD. This latest solution features support for i-temp and integrates advanced IntelligentSeries technology, delivering robust data integrity in extreme temperature environments that meet the rigorous demands of industrial embedded systems and automotive applications.

The latest FerriSSD BGA SSD supports PCIe Gen 4 x4 and uses high density 3D NAND within a compact 16 mm x 20 mm BGA chip-scale package. With storage capacities up to 1 TB, these high-performance embedded SSDs utilize Silicon Motion's latest innovations to achieve high sequential read speeds exceeding 6 GB/s and sequential write speeds exceeding 4 GB/s. Equipped with Silicon Motion's proprietary IntelligentSeries data protection technology that enhances reliability and performance through the use of encryption, data caching, data scanning and protect features, as well as supporting the i-temp requirements of operating in extreme temperatures from -40°C to + 85°C. This latest FerriSSD offers a high performance and highly reliable embedded storage solution for a broad range of applications and operating environments including in-car computing, thin client computing, point-of-sale terminals, multifunction printers, telecommunications equipment, factory automation tools, and a wide range of server applications.

More than mere modes of transportation, today's software-defined vehicles are a result of the ongoing transformation of the automobile from a product that is mainly hardware-based to a software-centric device on wheels. Premium vehicles today can have up to 150 million lines of software code, distributed among hundreds of electronic control units (ECUs), sensors, cameras, Lidar and more.

It is critical for automotive OEMs to ensure the quality and reliability of these software-intensive systems. Automotive SPICE (Software Process Improvement and Capability dEtermination) is an industry-standard guideline for evaluating the automotive embedded software development process. This ISO/IEC 15504 standard proves the software and development capabilities of automotive suppliers and manufacturers meet OEM requirements and incorporate best practices throughout the automotive software development cycle.

MINISFORUM released the AR900i, an MoDT (mobile on desktop) motherboard in the Mini-ITX form factor that comes with a hardwired Intel Core i9-13900HX mobile processor and a pre-installed cooling solution. The board is priced at $560 on Amazon, with a limited-period $70-off coupon. This is good value, considering that the i9-13900HX is a maxed-out "Raptor Lake" based mobile processor that features all 8 P-cores, all 16 E-cores, and all 36 MB of shared L3 cache physically present on the "Raptor Lake" silicon. The P-cores boost up to 5.40 GHz, and the E-cores up to 3.90 GHz. The only catch with this processor compared to something like a desktop i9-13900, is its power specs that were originally designed for the power constraints of notebooks, with 55 W base power, and 157 W of maximum turbo power, compared to 225 W of the socketed i9-13900.

Since the Core i9-13900HX is a mobile BGA1964 package that remains hardwired to the board, it is not upgradable. MINISFORUM has designed a cooling solution specific to the processor, which uses a large aluminium fin-stack heatsink that relies on an 80 mm case fan for ventilation. There's a secondary fan-heatsink that provides cooling to two M.2-2280 slots north of the processor. Each of these two M.2 slots has a PCI-Express 5.0 x4 wiring, and using either of them subtracts 8 PCIe lanes from the board's sole expansion slot, a PCI-Express 5.0 x16. The board features an M.2 E-key slot that you can pair with your own WLAN card, it comes with provision for dual-MIMO ready antennas. The processor is wired to two DDR5 SO-DIMM slots supporting up to 96 GB of memory. The board draws power from a 24-pin ATX and a single 8-pin EPS, which should prove sufficient for this processor.

Intel's next generation Core "Meteor Lake" processor was confirmed by ComputerBase.de to not release on the desktop platform. The processor will not make it to a socketed desktop package such as the upcoming LGA1851. It will see a mobile-only (notebook and tablets only) launch, with select processor models based on the mobile BGA package being made available to PC OEMs to build all-in-one desktops and mini PCs as non-socketed processors.

The desktop platform presence of "Meteor Lake" has been surrounded by some controversy, owing mainly to its maximum CPU core count of 6P+16E, which is bound to fall short of the current 8P+16E, and AMD's 16P. A slide released by Intel added to the confusion, which indicated that "Meteor Lake" has a thermal range of 5 W to 125 W, with the latter being typically associated with the processor base power values of desktop Core K-series processors.

Intel recently updated its website to highlight interposers used for testing upcoming chips before their actual product integration. A specific webpage now showcases components used by various tools, notably the "Gen5 VR," which stands for CPU Voltage Regulator in this context. The highlight of the update reveals at least four yet-to-be-announced products: Battlemage (BMG), Arrow Lake (ARL), and Lunar Lake (LNL), slated for launch in 2024. Particularly interesting are the two Battlemage interposers: BGA2362-BMG-X2 and BGA2727-BMG-X3. This hints that a Battlemage GPU could have more pins than Intel's current top-tier GPU from the Alchemist series, known as DG2, which features 2660 pins (BGA2660-DG2-512EU).

This unveiling could indicate Intel's plans to introduce two GPUs in its new series or potentially two different package sizes. Manufacturers often use consistent package sizes for multiple GPUs, granting flexibility to interchange processors with similar specifications and presenting a feasible production strategy. Another notable mention is the Arrow Lake-HX, intended for premium desktop/laptop hybrids.. While there was some buzz about the ARL-HX series before, this update provides clear confirmation from Intel. Lastly, the reveal includes an interposer for the Lunar Lake-M series (LNL-M), which is expected to be Intel's most energy-efficient line. Drawing parallels from the Alder Lake series, such chips were designed for tablets with power consumption between 5 to 7 watts.

The Intel Design tools webpage has this week once again provided an early preview of upcoming processors - following on from an LGA1851-MTL-S CPU interposer appearing on the site late last month - indicating that a Meteor Lake-S desktop CPU range was due at some point later in 2023. Intel's latest webpage entry features the "BGA2114-ARL-HX Interposer for the Gen 5 VR Test Tool" with an SKU code that reads: "Q6B2114ARLHX."

The BGA 2114 design points to a mobile processor platform, and industry analysts are fairly certain that Intel is preparing next generation high-end laptop CPUs in the form of its rumored Arrow Lake-HX lineup. This range is set to succeed the 13th generation Core-HX Raptor Lake family of mobile processors. The new BGA package looks to be slightly larger than the closest predecessor, possibly accommodating Intel's new "disaggregated" tile-based (tile is their term for chiplet) internal layout.

Chinese OEM ERYING designed a lineup of Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX desktop motherboards with 12th Gen Intel Core H-segment mobile processors. These are processors originally meant for the mobile platform, but which have been hardwired on these motherboards. Since the processor packages are bare-die BGAs, ERYING is using thick copper heatspreaders that protect the processor underneath, but most importantly, provide cooler compatibility for all aftermarket CPU coolers capable of handling Socket LGA1700 processors. This is a clever way of giving customers choice of aftermarket coolers by simply tossing in a slab of metal that serves as a heatspreader; than using a custom-design fan-heatsink with no upgradability.

Among the mobile processors these boards come with, are the Core i7-12700H (6P+8E), Core i5-12650H (4P+8E), i5-12500H (4P+8E), and i5-12450H (4P+4E). These boards come with conventional 24-pin ATX + 8-pin EPS power inputs, stock Intel clock speeds and power limits; and full-size memory slots, besides PCI-Express Gen 3 x16 and x1 slots, and a plethora of desktop-relevant I/O. Prices range between the equivalent of $286 to $356, depending on the processor used. An interesting feature with these boards is the ability to override the 45 W PL1 of the processors, and unlock PL1 and PL2 up to 95 W, to improve performance.

Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP) has developed a Glass Core Substrate (GCS) targeting next-generation semiconductor packages. The new product replaces conventional resin substrates (ex. FC-BGA: Flip Chip-Ball Grid Array) with a glass substrate. Through the use of high-density Through Glass Via (TGV), it is now possible to provide a higher performance semiconductor package than that based on currently available technology. In addition, by adapting our panel manufacturing process, the new product can also support demands for high efficiency and large-scale substrate.

Features
Fine pitch and high reliability
The newly developed GCS includes a TGV necessary for electrically connecting the fine metal wiring configured on the front and back of the glass. It is a Conformal Type glass substrate in which a metal layer is adhered to the side walls of the via. Our new proprietary manufacturing method enhances the adhesion between glass and metal, which was difficult to achieve with conventional technology, to realize fine pitch and high reliability.

AMD today introduced the Ryzen Embedded V3000 Series processors, adding the high-performance "Zen 3" core to the V-Series portfolio to deliver reliable, scalable processing performance for a wide range of storage and networking system applications. With greater CPU performance, DRAM memory transfer rate, CPU core count and I/O connectivity when compared to the AMD Ryzen Embedded V1000 series, the new AMD Ryzen Embedded V3000 Series processors deliver the performance and low-power options required for some of the most demanding 24x7 operating environments and workloads.

Now shipping to leading embedded ODMs and OEMs, AMD Ryzen Embedded V3000 processors address the growing demands of enterprise and cloud storage, as well as data center network routing, switching and firewall security features. AMD Ryzen Embedded V3000 processors can power a variety of diverse use-cases ranging from virtual hyper-converged infrastructure to advanced systems at the edge.

KIOXIA America, Inc. has introduced new Industrial Grade flash memory devices. This new lineup utilizes the latest generation KIOXIA BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory with 3-bit-per-cell (triple-level cell, TLC) technology, and is available in a 132-BGA package. Densities range from 512 gigabits (64 gigabytes) to 4 terabits (512 gigabytes) to support the unique requirements of industrial applications - including telecommunication, networking, embedded computing and much more.

The storage requirements for many industrial applications stand in stark contrast to those of SSDs designed to be housed in climate-controlled data centers - including the need for extended temperature ranges and the ability to maintain high reliability and performance in rugged operating conditions. Designed with these needs in mind, the new KIOXIA devices support a wide temperature range (-40°C to +85°C) and offer suitable products for the industrial market.

AMD is now TSMC's second largest customer for its 5 nanometer N5 silicon fabrication node, according to a DigiTimes report. The Taiwan-based semiconductor industry observer also reports that AMD is more resilient than Intel in facing any downturns in the PC industry, in the coming few months. PC sales are expected to slump by as much as 15 percent in the near future, but the lower market-share compared to Intel; and the flexibility for AMD to move its CPU chips over to enterprise product to feed the growth in server processor segment, means that the company can ride over a bumpy road in the near future. The lower market-share translates to "lesser pain" from a slump compared to Intel. The report also says that embracing TSMC for processors "just in time" means that AMD has a front-row seat with product performance, time-to-market, yields, and delivery.

AMD is on the anvil of two major product launches on 5 nm, the Ryzen 7000 series "Raphael" desktop processors on August 30 (according to the report), and EPYC "Genoa" server processors in November 2022. The company is planning to refresh its notebook processor lineup in the first half of 2023, with "Dragon Range," and "Phoenix Point" targeting distinct market segments among notebooks. "Dragon Range" is essentially "Raphael" (5 nm chiplet + 6 nm cIOD) on a mobile-optimized BGA package, letting AMD cram up to 16 "Zen 4" cores, and take on Intel's high core-count mobile processors. The iGPU of "Dragon Range" will be basic, since designs based on this chip are expected to use discrete GPUs. "Phoenix Point" is a purpose-built mobile processor with up to 8 "Zen 4" cores, and a powerful iGPU based the RDNA3 architecture.

Winbond Electronics Corporation, a leading global supplier of semiconductor memory solutions, today announced that its new package 100BGA LPDDR4/4X had achieved the JEDEC JED209-4 standard to ensure energy conservation and carbon reduction. The LPDDR4/4X is now available in a space-saving 100BGA package measuring only 7.5X10mm2. The device is ideal for IoT applications requiring higher throughput in a small package to allow designers to reduce the PCB size for more compact IoT designs.

Winbond's LPDDR4/4X memory is available in density of 1Gb and 2Gb, supporting speeds of up to 4267 Mbps. It is available in both Single-Die-Package (SDP) with a 2Gb density and Dual-Die-Package (DDP) with a 4Gb density. The higher speed of LPDDR4 1CH x16 4267 Mbps offers improved performance over previous DDR4 x16 3200 Mbps devices, which is especially useful for consumer applications.

ATP Electronics, the global leader in specialized storage and memory solutions, has introduced its latest line of e.MMC devices built on 3D triple level cell (TLC) NAND. Using a new die package, the E750Pi/Pc and E650Si/Sc Series offer long-life performance, optimized power consumption and customizable configuration options. ATP's new E750Pi/Pc Series e.MMC offerings are built with 3D TLC NAND flash but are configured as pseudo SLC (pSLC) to offer endurance on par with SLC NAND, while E650Si/Sc Series in native TLC has near-MLC endurance.

The E750Pi and E650Si Series are industrial temperature-operable (-40°C to 85°C), making them ideal for deployment in scenarios with extreme thermal challenges and harsh environments, while E750Pc and E650Sc support -25°C to 85°C operating temperatures for applications with non-critical thermal requirements.

Fujitsu Semiconductor Memory Solution Limited has launched new 8 Mbit FRAM MB85R8M2TA with parallel interface, which is the first product to guarantee 100 trillion read/write cycle times in Fujitsu's FRAM product family. Evaluation samples are currently available. The new product achieves both high-speed operations, approximately 30% faster access speed, and low power consumption, 10% less operating current, compared to Fujitsu's conventional products. This memory IC is an ideal replacement of SRAM in the industrial machines that require high-speed operation.

FRAM is a non-volatile memory product with superior features of high read/write endurance, fast writing speed operation and low power consumption, and it has been mass-produced for over 20 years. Fujitsu has been providing 8 Mbit FRAM MB85R8M2T with parallel interface since June 2018. While promoting the product, the company heard voices of customer requirements such as guaranteed writing endurance of more than 10 trillion times, operation as fast as SRAM and TSOP package compatibility to SRAM. Fujitsu is now pleased to introduce its new 8 Mbit FRAM product satisfying these requirements, maintaining FRAM's unique feature of lower power consumption.

With the rapid development of advanced technologies, such as 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and 8K, people are placing more stringent requirements on the convenience, intelligence, and functional integration of their electronics. This has given rise to new development opportunities in the storage industry. As we progress further into the digital revolution, intelligent electronics will require small-capacity storage products which feature an increased level of reliability and stability. High-temperature tolerance in storage products will be vital for customers in the intelligent and small-sized consumer electronics market.

Longsys recently launched the FORESEE DDR4, which utilizes 96-ball thin fine ball grid array (TFBGA) encapsulation. The product's manufacturing process, transmission speed, power consumption, and high-temperature reliability all perform at an industry-leading level.

SkyHigh Memory Limited., a global leader in embedded storage solutions, is introducing 3.0 V 1 Gb - 4 Gb densities 4 KB page and 2 KB page ML-3 products to its family of NAND Flash memories. The new 1 Gb - 4 Gb ML-3 SLC NAND Flash product family devices are designed on 1xnm, the industry's most advanced technology node for SLC NAND products. Available with different interfaces, SkyHigh Memory first-generation Serial (SPI) SLC NAND and third-generation Parallel SLC NAND complete the third generation ML-3 4 Gb - 16 Gb parallel SLC NAND product family already in production.

The new 1 Gb - 4 Gb devices will be offered to support high-reliability systems that store critical data and operate at extended temperatures, up to +105°C. Thanks to its internal ECC engine, the ML-3 product family can support chipsets with as low as a 1-bit ECC engine to accommodate legacy chipsets and modern chipsets with higher ECC engines.

AMD's next generation Ryzen Embedded V3000 system-on-chips aren't simply "Cezanne" dies sitting on BGA packages, but rather based on a brand new silicon, according to Patrick Schur, a reliable source with leaks. The die will be built on the more advanced 6 nm silicon fabrication node, whilst still being based on the current "Zen 3" microarchitecture. There are several things that set it apart from the APU silicon of the current-generation, making it more relevant for the applications the Ryzen Embedded processor family is originally built for.

Built in the FP7r2 BGA package, the V3000 silicon features an 8-core/16-thread CPU based on the "Zen 3" microarchitecture. There are also an integrated GPU based on the RDNA2 graphics architecture, with up to 12 CUs, a dual-channel DDR5 memory interface, a 20-lane PCI-Express 4.0 root complex, with up to 8 lanes put out for PEG; two USB4 ports, and two 10 GbE PHYs. AMD could design at least three SKUs based on this silicon, spanning TDP bands of 15-30 W and 35-54 W.

Intel's NUC 11 Extreme, codenamed Beast Canyon, is a revisit - and in some terms, reimagining - of the Extreme performance NUC range by Intel. The new Beast Canyon NUCs will now support full-length discrete graphics cards as well Intel's compute element in a single, 8L compact case. The compute element, which we have already pictured before, has now been photographed up close, manifesting one of Intel's latest additions to its ARK database - the NUC features a Core i9-11900KB CPU.

Intel has registered four B-line CPUs on its Ark: the i9-11900KB (unlocked, mobile socket, NUC-bound); i7-11700B; i5-11500B; and i3-11100B. All of these CPUs are meant for the NUC form-factor, are part of Intel's Next Unit of Computing design, and will ship in an add-in card form factor which already includes the socketed, mobile CPU (likely in BGA packaging), the RAM sticks, storage subsystem, and I/O complex. It remains to be seen whether this new form-factor convinces those interested in such a system - the added capability to add full-length PCIe graphics cards may add some flexibility, but it does come at the expense of physical footprint for the new generation NUC.

Yesterday, we got information that Intel's upcoming DG2 discrete graphics card is "right around the corner". That means that we are inching closer to the launch of Intel's discrete GPU offerings, and we are going to get another major player in the current GPU market duopoly. Today, however, we are in luck because Igor from Igor's LAB has managed to get ahold of the specifications of Intel's Xe-HPG DG2 graphics card. For starters, it is important to note that DG2 GPU will first come to laptops later this year. More precisely, laptops powered by Alder Lake-P processors will get paired with DG2 discrete GPU in the second half of 2021. The CPU and GPU will connect using the PCIe 4.0 x12 link as shown in the diagram below, where the GPU is paired with the Tiger Lake-H processor. The GPU has its subsystem that handles the IO as well.