Re ading UK – 22 November 2024. Sondrel, a leading provider of ultra-complex custom chips, has announced that it has started front end, RTL design and verification work on a high-performance computing (HPC) chip project for a major new customer.

Ollie Jones, Sondrel’s CEO, said, “HPC designs are a key area for Sondrel because they require large, ultra-complex custom chips on advanced nodes, which are our speciality. We have developed the skills, tools and advanced design methodologies to be able to create billion-transistor designs at leading nodes. For example, we have one customer for such designs that has contracted us for the past eight years to work on each generation of its advanced node chips.”

He explained that HPC designs require multicore processors running at maximum clock frequencies and utilising the very latest, coherent Network on Chip (NoC) technology, advanced memory and high bandwidth IO interfaces, so that the chip can deliver the highest possible performance. The coherent NoC enables data to move between processors, memory and IO whilst enabling processors to reliably share and maintain data that they have available in their caches. As a result, the need to access off-chip memory may be significantly reduced, which can introduce latencies that hinder performance.

“HPC is in huge demand for next generation applications that demand tremendous computing power such as AI, scientific modelling, data centres and internet infrastructures,” concluded Jones. “In every case, the key is understanding how to move data around in the optimal way to maximise performance and that is an area where we have world-class expertise and in-house technologies such as our Advanced Modelling Process. This is part of our suite of in-house tools and flows, which have been perfected over many years, and enables us to analyse exactly what is going on inside a chip design to ensure that the data flow is balanced properly and that the processors are not stalled waiting for data. It runs through every stage of the chip design to ‘prove’ that the design meets its specification and performance requirements, which is why we are the partner of choice for these projects as customers can see at every phase that it is on specification and on track.”

About Sondrel

Sondrel is a UK-based fabless semiconductor company specialising in high end, ultra-complex, custom digital Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) and System on Chips (SOCs). It provides a full turnkey service in the design, prototyping, testing, packaging and production of ASICs and SoCs. 

The Company is one of only a few companies capable of designing and supplying the higher-spec chips built on the most advanced semiconductor technologies, selling into a range of hyper growth end markets such as high-performance computing, automotive, artificial intelligence, VR/AR, video analytics, image processing, mobile networking and data centres. Sondrel designs have enabled products by leading technology brands including Apple (iPhone), Sony (PlayStation), Meta's (Oculus), Samsung, Google and Sony smartphones, JVC (prosumer camcorders), Tesla and Mercedes-Benz cars. 

Sondrel is well-established, with a 20-year track record of successful delivery, supported by long standing ecosystem partnerships including Arm, TSMC and Samsung. Headquartered in the UK, Sondrel has a global presence with offices in UK, USA, India and Morocco.

For more information, visit https://www.sondrel.com