SCIENCE

Broadcom Corporation is expanding the opportunity for OEMs to deliver wireless innovation in personal computers, notebooks and netbooks with its BCM43142 InConcert combo chip. The new chip combines Wi-Fi Direct connectivity with seamless proximity-based pairing, dramatically simplifying wireless connectivity in the home. The combo chip supports a variety of platforms including next generation Windows and Android-based systems.

The single-die BCM43142 is the industry's first 40nm Wi-Fi Bluetooth Combo Chip for notebooks and netbooks. It features power savings and coexistence improvements over earlier InConcert PC combo modules that Broadcom has been shipping since 2008. With its high levels of integration, the 40nm device also provides a significant reduction in footprint and a lower bill-of-materials and a 40 percent reduction in power consumption, providing a cost effective, compact and high-performance solution for the PC market.

The BCM43142 software development kit includes APIs for Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Bluetooth High Speed and 802.11n Wi-Fi Direct functionality. This allows devices to automatically recognize and communicate with each other directly, delivering innovative applications such as proximity-based PC security, router-less collaboration and instant photo/video sharing.

The BCM43142 and accompanying software applications will be demonstrated in Broadcom's Computex Booth.  

Integrated, Scalable Chips Deliver Adaptive Wireless Technology for Innovative Applications

While nearly all smart phones already include combo chips, a study by ABI Research finds that demand for single-die Bluetooth and Wi-Fi combo chips will continue to grow by 15 percent CAGR between 2009 and 2015.  The ABI Research study also indicates that more than 75 percent of the combined notebooks and netbooks shipments in 2013 will have both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Broadcom now extends this capability to address Windows and Android-based PCs and notebooks and netbooks with its fourth generation Bluetooth-Wi-Fi combo chip.

Quotes:

John DaCosta, Director of Product Marketing, Mobile & Wireless Group, Broadcom Corporation:

"The future of innovation in consumer electronics is in wireless connectivity.  By extending Broadcom's leadership in wireless integration to the 40 nanometer node, we're delivering the most cost effective and industry proven integrated solutions to the PC segment.  By leveraging Broadcom's leadership in Wi-Fi Direct and software APIs, Broadcom is enabling PC OEMs to develop and deliver new and compelling solutions to their customers."

BCM43142 Product Highlights:

• The Broadcom BCM43142 is the industry's first 40nm combo chip for PCs, notebooks and netbooks. It supports single stream IEEE 802.11n and Bluetooth 4.0 + HS. It also features integrated power amplifiers and a low noise amplifier.
• The BCM43142 is optimized for cost and power as required in the cost-sensitive traditional PC market.  It is available in a 68-pin QFN package. It uses the PCIe interface for Wi-Fi and USB interface for Bluetooth.
• Broadcom continues to support its widely deployed Bluetooth stack and software for Windows, rich with many Bluetooth profiles, including next-generation sensor applications. This also includes support for Bluetooth Low Energy. The software package includes APIs for BT4.0+HS and BLE.
• Broadcom's support for Wi-Fi Direct enables devices to communicate directly with one another without having to interact with an access point. This allows simpler, faster communication with high-density video resolution. Similar functionality is available for smart phones using Broadcom's BCM4330, which was introduced earlier this year and is already in production in numerous phones. The software package includes APIs for Wi-Fi Direct.
• The BCM43142 implements the industry's most advanced and proven radio coexistence algorithms and hardware mechanisms to allow an extremely collaborative Wi-Fi and Bluetooth coexistence scheme internal to the device. The chip also provides support for coexistence schemes with additional wireless technologies such as LTE and WiMAX. As a result, enhanced overall quality for simultaneous voice, video and data transmission is achieved in a laptop computer.
• Additional features of the BCM43142 combo chip solution includes:
• IEEE 802.11n space-time block coding (STBC) and low-density parity check (LDPC) code options for improved range and power efficiency.
• Broadcom's SmartAudio® technology offers Wide Band Speech (WBS), Packet Loss Concealment (PLC) and Bit Error Correction (BEC) to dramatically improve Bluetooth voice and audio quality.

Broadcom's BCM43142 is the PC industry's first combo chip with Bluetooth Low Energy 4.0 (BLE 4.0) certification, providing a standardized ultra-low-power implementation of Bluetooth technology. BCM43142 samples are available now for early engagement customers.