Dusseldorf, October 30, 2012 — Renesas Electronics Europe, a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, is delighted to announce that it has received PRIME (PoweRline Intelligent Metering Evolution) Alliance certification for its market-leading, software-configurable OFDM powerline communication platform. The certification comes less than ten months from development start and marks a significant milestone both towards extending Renesas’ solution capability as a leading supplier to the energy industry, and towards the adoption of PRIME as a global communications standard for smart grid.
The PRIME narrowband powerline communications specification, supporting different modulation schemes and additional integrated functionality for high robustness, provides an open, flexible, standardised basis for multi-vendor interoperability and compatibility. The Renesas PRIME solution provides further value to the user, featuring unparalleled low power consumption, further robustness enhancements, low overall BOM cost and a small PCB profile based on its high level of integration. The PRIME certification process also confirmed the excellent Rx sensitivity level of the Renesas solution.
The platform is based on a highly integrated narrowband modem system-on-chip (uPD809504), integrating a MAC controller and high performance DSP for physical layer (PHY) implementation, combined with embedded Analog Front End (AFE) that includes an adaptive gain amplifier with AGC functions and an embedded AES128 hardware security engine.
Coupled with a Renesas RX family 32-bit microcontroller, offering an impressive 1.65MIPS/MHz performance, zero-wait 100MHz Flash memory and a peripheral mix highly tuned to smart grid applications, this solution offers not only support for the most advanced communications protocols, but also complete system control.
The combined hardware architecture and software framework allows for flexible standards support. All lower layers are remotely programmable, assuring upgradeability to future versions of existing and emerging standards. The solution will be delivered with fully certified software libraries.
About PRIME Alliance
PRIME (PoweRline Intelligent Metering Evolution) Alliance was created in 2009 to define an open and future-proofed communications PLC-based infrastructure to support large scale smart metering and other smart grid deployments. The goal of the Alliance is to provide a framework in which the smart metering and smart grid industry have access to open detailed technical specifications in order to develop fully interoperable solutions, which would allow multiple vendors to be operational within the same distribution network in one common system architecture. Detailed technical specs include Physical PHY layer and Medium Access Control MAC layer specifications.
PRIME Alliance provides a forum for the definition, maintenance and support of an open and comprehensive standard for narrowband power line for Smart Grid products and services. The mission of the Alliance is to accelerate the demand for products and services based on this worldwide standard and promote the broad adoption and use of the specification while certifying multi-vendor interoperability and compatibility with the global standard.
The Alliance is open to all potential partners who agree to actively support and promote an open and public specification for the benefit of the end-user and all industry stakeholders. Visit www.prime-alliance.org for more information or to join the Alliance.
About Renesas Electronics Europe
Renesas delivers trusted embedded design innovation with complete semiconductor solutions that enable billions of connected, intelligent devices to enhance the way people work and live – securely and safely. As the number one global supplier of microcontrollers, and a leader in A&P and SoC products, Renesas provides the expertise, quality, and comprehensive solutions for a broad range of Automotive, Industrial, Home Electronics (HE), Office Automation (OA) and Information Communication Technology (ICT) applications to help shape a limitless future.
Renesas Electronics Corporation was established in 2010 and is headquartered in Japan.With over 800 hardware and software alliance partners worldwide, it has the industry’s largest local support network. Renesas Electronics’ European structure is comprised of three business units – the Automotive, the Broad-based and the Industrial Solution Business Unit.
Further information about Renesas Electronics Europe is available at www.renesas.com
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