Cadence Design Systems and AST SpaceMobile announced their collaboration to develop the AST5000 ASIC, a custom-designed chip powering AST SpaceMobile’s space-based cellular broadband network. This partnership aims to bridge connectivity gaps globally, enabling everyday smartphones to access broadband directly via satellites. The AST5000 ASIC is a cornerstone of the company’s BlueBird program, designed to achieve up to a tenfold improvement in processing bandwidth per satellite.
The AST5000 ASIC leverages advanced Cadence tools and intellectual property (IP) to optimize power, performance, and area (PPA). This includes high-speed SerDes technology, ensuring efficiency across a broad temperature range for space applications. Cadence’s Palladium Emulation Platform played a critical role in validating and refining the chip design during pre-silicon development, addressing potential issues to ensure a reliable final product. The collaboration supports AST SpaceMobile’s mission of delivering space-based connectivity to underserved regions worldwide.
AST SpaceMobile plans to deploy the 2,400 sq ft (223 m²) BlueBird satellites equipped with the AST5000 ASIC, supporting up to 10,000 MHz of processing bandwidth per satellite. This setup is expected to deliver speeds of up to 120 Mbps for voice, data, and video applications. Huiwen Yao, CTO of AST SpaceMobile, emphasized the importance of Cadence’s technology in achieving these milestones, stating, “Cadence’s collaboration is instrumental in delivering space-based cellular broadband connectivity.”
Key Points
• AST5000 ASIC: Custom low-power architecture for AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellite program.
• Performance: Enables up to 10x improvement in processing bandwidth per satellite.
• Design Tools: Cadence’s IP solutions include high-speed SerDes and AI-driven EDA tools.
• Emulation: Cadence’s Palladium Platform validated the design during pre-silicon development.
• Connectivity Goals: AST SpaceMobile aims to provide broadband to smartphones with speeds up to 120 Mbps.
