Cypress Semiconductor (NYSE: CYUSB3014 ), a leading supplier of USB controllers, today announced USB-IF certification of two of its SuperSpeed USB peripheral controllers, the EZ-USB® FX3 (CYUSB3014) and the West Bridge® Benicia (CYWB0263BB). Both peripheral controllers are now in volume production.

The EZ-USB FX3 is one of the industry's first USB 3.0 peripheral controllers and the only programmable solution. It features a fully configurable General Programmable Interface (GPIF™ II) with 8/16/32 bit widths and a high data rate of 400 MBps. GPIF II enables the FX3 to interface directly to any processor, ASIC, or FPGA. The GPIF™ tool kit helps system designers configure the GPIF interface to their needs, and standard interfaces are provided as examples, including FIFOs, SRAM, asynchronous and synchronous address/data multiplexing, and parallel ATA.

The on-chip ARM9 CPU core, along with 512KB of RAM, delivers 200 MIPS of computational power, making it ideal for applications requiring local data processing. The FX3 also provides interfaces for connecting to serial peripherals such as SPI, UART, I2C, and I2S. In other words, the FX3 provides developers with highly flexible and integrated features that enable them to add USB 3.0 connectivity to any system.

The West Bridge Benicia is a highly optimized data transfer offload engine that enables mobile devices to double their IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) performance, handle high-resolution video, "side-load" multimedia content streams at up to 160 Mb/s, and reduce battery charging times by up to 50% with increased charging current of up to 900 mA. Benicia features the second-generation SLIM™ II (Simultaneous Link to Independent Multimedia™) architecture, which manages multiple non-blocking paths between peripherals, memory, and the processor for maximum data throughput and power savings.

Benicia features two storage ports supporting SD 3.0 and eMMC 4.41, which can be configured in RAID-0, providing significant performance improvements in random and sequential read/write operations, two key metrics that govern overall system performance and responsiveness. Additionally, Benicia's EZ-Detect automatically detects the charger or USB hub/host port, giving portable devices the flexibility to manage their battery charging options.
"The EZ-USB FX3 is a Swiss Army knife for designers, flexible, powerful and easy to implement. The FX3 is designed for a variety of applications that require streaming capabilities and low power consumption, including high-speed content, video and USB subsystems. In addition to its outstanding side-loading speed that enables HD movie transfer in under a minute, the West Bridge Benicia helps designers achieve higher IOPS for tablets and smartphones while improving the performance and responsiveness of their devices. “Cypress is pleased that all of these devices have received USB-IF certification and we are confident that this will accelerate the adoption of SuperSpeed USB,” said Youngdo Lim, president of Cypress.

“The USB-IF is pleased to certify Cypress’s SuperSpeed USB controllers, which will help expand the SuperSpeed USB ecosystem,” said Jeff Ravencraft, USB-IF President and COO.

Both the EZ-USB FX3 and the West Bridge Benicia are now in volume production. The FX3 is available in a tiny 121-ball BGA package measuring 10 mm X 10 mm X 1.2 mm with 0.8 mm pitch, while the Benicia is available in an ultra-small 131-ball WLCSP package measuring 5.099 mm x 4.695 mm x 0.55 mm with 0.4 mm pitch. Cypress will be participating in the USB Tech Zone at CES 2012, located at the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall 3, Booth #30769. Demonstrations showing the performance of the EZ-USB® FX3 and Benicia will be available in the USB Tech Zone booth.

SuperSpeed USB
SuperSpeed USB offers significant performance improvements to the ubiquitous USB standard, while maintaining compatibility with the vast number of USB-based devices currently on the market. SuperSpeed USB offers data transfer speeds up to ten times faster than Hi-Speed USB, along with improved power efficiency. SuperSpeed USB makes it easy to stream video, music, photos, and more—whether at home, in the office, or in the car. The USB 3.0 specification was developed by the USB 3.0 Promoter Group, which includes Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Microsoft, Renesas Electronics, ST-Ericsson, and Texas Instruments.

USB-IF
The non-profit USB Implementers Forum, Inc. was formed to provide a support organization and forum for the advancement and adoption of USB technology. Through its globally recognized logo and compliance program, USB-IF promotes the development of high-quality, compatible USB devices and promotes the benefits of USB and the quality of products that have passed compliance testing. For more information, including the most recent product and technology announcements, visit the USB-IF website ( www.usb.org ).

Cypress Semiconductor ( http://www.cypress.com ) is a leading provider of high-performance, mixed-signal programmable solutions that enable customers to achieve rapid time to market and superior system value. Cypress's products include the flagship PSoC® Programmable System-on-Chip™ family and derivatives such as CapSense® touch sensing and TrueTouch™ solutions for touchscreens. Cypress is a leading provider of USB controllers, including high-performance West Bridge® solutions that enhance connectivity and performance in multimedia mobile phones. Cypress is also a leading supplier of high-performance memories and programmable timing devices. Cypress serves a wide range of markets, including consumer, mobile, computing, data communications, automotive, industrial, and military.