Advanced semiconductor technology company Samsung Electronics announced Tuesday that it has begun mass production of the Exynos 7 Dual 7270. It is the initial mobile application processor (AP) designed for wearable devices with 14-nanometer (nm) FinFET process technology, and features full connectivity and LTE modem integration.
Since last year, Samsung has been expanding the adoption of 14nm technology for a wide variety of products from premium smartphones to entry-level mobile devices. With the Exynos 7270, the company also introduces the benefits of this technology to wearables.
Powered by two Cortex-A53 cores, the Exynos 7270 makes full use of the 14nm process, delivering 20 percent improvement in power efficiency when compared to its predecessor built on 28nm, notably extending battery life.
By integrating Cat.4 LTE 2CA modem, the new AP allows wearables to connect to a cellular service as a stand-alone device. Tethering and data transfer between devices is also possible with its embedded WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. In addition, integrated connectivity capabilities support FM (frequency modulation) radio, and location-based services with GNSS (global navigation satellite system) solutions.
As well as the implementation of the advanced 14nm FinFET process, Samsung’s packaging technology, SiP(system-in-package)-ePoP(embedded package-on-package), enables the Exynos 7270 to feature outstanding performance and energy-efficiency within a compact solution optimized for wearable devices. The technology combines the AP, DRAM and NAND flash memory chips as well as the PMIC (power management IC) together into a single package.
The solution can offer more features than its predecessor in the same 100-square-millimeter (mm2) area while reducing the height by approximately 30 percent. This gives more room for device manufacturers to design high performance, ultra-slim wearable devices.
To expedite the development process, a reference platform comprised of the Exynos 7270, NFC (near field communication) and various sensors is currently available for device manufacturers and customers.
“The Exynos 7270 presents a new paradigm for system-on-chips (SoC) dedicated to wearables,” said Ben K. Hur, Samsung’s vice president of system LSI marketing. “Designed on our state-of-the-art process technology, this AP offers great power savings, 4G LTE modem and full connectivity solution integration, as well as innovative packaging technology optimized for wearable devices. It is a ground-breaking solution that will greatly accelerate wider adoption of wearable devices by overcoming limitations in current solutions such as energy usage and design flexibility.”
