Focus on showcasing free 5G technology at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics
A single, low-power, flexible RFSoC chip can support 5G.

On the 9th, 5G trial services began simultaneously with the opening of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. While KT and Samsung Electronics were implementing 5G, Xilinx built a trial service system using repeaters and terminals.

Xilinx CEO Ahn Heung-sik said, "We're demonstrating 5G trial services at the Olympics. Xilinx sees this as an opportunity to showcase its technological prowess, rather than just sales." He continued, "If Xilinx's all-programmable products are integrated into early 5G installations and demonstrate our technological prowess, we believe they can be leveraged for major system deployments."

This competition is utilizing Xilinx's 28nm, 20nm, 16nm, and UltraScale processes. Although the 5G standard has not yet been finalized, Xilinx is confident that its products will be supplied to 5G, leveraging its accumulated expertise and technological prowess from 2.5G to 4G, including its LTE (4G) traffic business in South Asia. Furthermore, Xilinx expressed confidence that it will continue Moore's Law through future product development.


Once the next stage of product manufacturing is complete, the 16nm DSP module will be integrated into the process, resulting in a difference in processing speed. If the 16nm process can process 1 million data per second, the next-stage product will be capable of processing 1 million data per 0.1 second. Not only will line width reduction be possible, but also technological integration and structural changes suitable for specific fields will enable 5G to be implemented at faster speeds in a physical size similar to 4G.

However, CEO Ahn Heung-sik predicted, "Usually, one to two antennas are used. 5G will be commercialized after 4.5G with Massive MIMO (Multi-input, Multi-output), a technology that reduces traffic by increasing the number of antennas." The transition from 3G to 4G service was similar to the transition from 3G to 4G. If a single device in an existing system can handle 10 people, Massive MIMO can support 100. While it's too early to tell, compatibility with existing systems could also lead to cost savings.

However, Xilinx is preparing RFSoCs to address the infrastructure restructuring required during the transition from 4.5G to 5G. If multiple ADDA converters were integrated into an MPSoC to implement 4G, the chip for 5G would be correspondingly larger. RFSoCs combine an ARM-class processing system, FPGA fabric, and converters into a single device, offering power savings and flexibility.

RFSoCs, which integrate RF-grade analog technology with MPSoCs, deliver integration and breakthrough innovation in 5G. They are fully programmable and eliminate discrete data converters, enabling 50-75% power and footprint reductions in 5G massive MIMO and millimeter-wave wireless backhaul applications. RFSoCs feature simplified analog design and direct RF sampling for high accuracy, a smaller form factor, and lower power. It also features a 12-bit ADC with up to 4GSPS, high channel count, digital down-conversion, and a 14-bit DAC with up to 6.5GSPS, high channel count, digital up-conversion.

Xilinx maintains and develops a diverse range of physical sizes to meet the needs of a wide range of consumers. It achieved 10% annual growth in 2016 and 2017. This year, the company will continue to focus on the communications industry, where Xilinx's strengths and direction align, as well as the expansion of semiconductor factories by domestic memory companies, which will require in-house test equipment. Xilinx's high-priced, premium FPGAs are expected to significantly benefit.

“We have high expectations for Xilinx’s role in the automotive market, along with memory equipment and data centers, driven by the growth of the telecommunications industry and factories,” said CEO Ahn. “Although there has been no official announcement yet, we expect to see a new growth rate this year.”