Conexant's soft modem adopted in Atmel's ARM9-based MCUs

Implementation of cost-effective modem solutions for embedded applications

August 10, 2011, Newport Beach, California – Conexant Systems (Country Manager for Korea: Kyung-bae Park), a leader in innovative semiconductor solutions for imaging, audio, video, embedded modem, and video surveillance applications, announced today that its soft modem technology has been integrated into Atmel Corporation's (NASDAQ: ATML) SAM9 ARM926-based MCU family. Atmel®, a leader in MCU (microcontroller) and touch technology solutions, has integrated Conexant's SSD (System Device Side) to enable Conexant modem drivers to run on the MCU, thereby providing a physical interface to Conexant's field-proven and market-leading 4th generation DAA semiconductors.

Atmel's
"Jacko Wilbrink, Director of Product Marketing at ARM, said, 'Conexant is a pioneer of soft modems for the PC industry, and through our partnership with Conexant, we are able to provide highly system-integrated, globally compliant, and certified modem solutions to the various embedded markets where our MPUs are used.'"

Atmel’s new SAM9 devices, such as the SAM9G15, SAM9G25, SAM9G35, SAM9X25, and SAM9X35, are combined with Conexant’s CX20548 SmartDAA® and firmware to provide a cost-effective solution for implementing modems in applications requiring data communication. These applications include POS terminals, industrial and building control systems, HVAC, printers and medical devices, smart grids with data concentrators, human-machine interfaces (HMI), and machine-machine interfaces (MMI).

Dr. Sailesh Chittipeddi, President and CEO of Conexant, stated, “Conexant’s software modem line is a proven and reliable product with over 600 million units supplied in more than 60 countries worldwide, designed to meet the needs of our customers around the globe.” He also emphasized, “Our proprietary SmartDAA technology enables compliance with global standards with a single design.”

The key advantages provided by Conexant's soft modem solutions include the following:
• Vertically integrated software modem function to mitigate risks associated with integration
• A royalty-free software package included with the purchase of Conexant's CX20548 SmartDAA 4-Line Side Device
• Concise interface for Conexant's 4th generation SmartDAA
• Cost savings as the need for an additional external modem chip besides DAA is eliminated.