Single chip UWB thing snuck out

IN ALL THE general hubbub at Computex, the INQ missed out on fabless chip company, Artimi, showing off its wares. The company was able to show attendees its single chip Ultra Wideband (UWB) thing which it claims is way ahead of the competition.

Artimi has already produced a PCI board reference design which will give system builders the chance to test the technology while it works hard to reduce the associated component count.

UWB is being touted as the next generation cable replacement technology and indeed the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has already endorsed it as such. Unusually, Artimi's RTMI-100 can take advantage of mains power lines as well as working wirelessly.

Artimi's thing is made in 0.18 micron SiGE BiCMOS. It can process up to 4 GHz of bandwidth and provide throughputs up to 800 Mbit/s.

Typical applications include streaming audio and video files in the ubiquitous 'digital home' environment. The product is currently at a first silicon level.

While the FCC has given approval for UWB, it remains to be seen what the European Community will permit. Shades of Bluetooth, all over again. µ