MaxLinear’s MxL1550 RF transceiver and Intel’s Agilex 7 FPGA F-series device achieved 32.44 Gbps data rates during JESD204C interoperability testing.
JESD204C is a multi-lane, multi-gigabit serial interface for high-throughput digital communications between RF transceivers and logic devices.
MaxLinear said its JESD204C conforming implementation is based upon best-in-class SerDes innovations and delivers 32.44032 Gbps lane speeds. Such JESD204C interface speeds are required to support the development of new ultra-wideband radio units (RU) for the 5G Radio Access Network (RAN). According to 2023 research by Research and Markets, the global 5G RAN market was valued at $12.4B billion in 2022, and is projected to reach $57.1 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 21.1% from 2022 to 2030.
“Implementing high-speed JESD204C SerDes interconnect between RF transceivers and FPGAs is a significant new design challenge for RF engineers delivering next-generation 5G radios,” said Gerry Leavey, Senior Director in MaxLinear’s Wireless Infrastructure Group. “By achieving 32.44 Gbps JESD204C interoperability in advance with a leading FPGA product from Intel, MaxLinear is facilitating the rapid development of right-first-time 400 MHz RU designs based upon our MxL1550 Octal RF transceivers.”
The MxL1550 is a state-of-the-art, low power octal RF transceiver that supports up to 400MHz instantaneous bandwidth for next-generation 5G Macro, Massive MIMO, and Small Cell radio applications. Coupled with ultra-low power consumption, this multi-channel RF transceiver is a key component for meeting the power consumption, size, performance, and cost requirements of next generation 5G radios.
“Intel Agilex 7 SoC FPGAs deliver ~2x performance per watt compared to competing 7nm FPGAs1, making it an optimal and scalable product family for thermally constrained RU environments. Combined with MaxLinear’s RF transceivers, we unleash 400MHz instantaneous bandwidth efficiently supporting wideband/multi-band RU applications,” said Christian Lanzani, Director of the Wireless Business Division, Intel Programmable Solutions Group. “This collaboration, along with Intel’s cutting-edge suite of radio IP and ORAN/Low-PHY enablement solutions, helps our wireless clients drastically reduce development time and costs while enhancing the feature sets and delivery of power-efficient RU solutions.”
