Analog Devices’ RadioVerse SoC Drives 5G Radio Efficiency and Performance
December 10, 2021 | Business WireEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Analog Devices, Inc. announced a breakthrough RadioVerse System-on-Chip (SoC) series providing radio unit (RU) developers with an agile and cost-effective platform to create the most energy efficient 5G RUs in the industry. The new SoC series provides advanced RF signal processing with expanded digital functionality and RF capacity that greatly improves 5G RU performance and energy efficiency. The SoCs are the newest addition to ADI’s RadioVerse ecosystem and combine its award-winning Zero IF (ZiF) architecture with significant advances in functional integration and linearization. ADI’s RadioVerse devices are the most widely used software-defined transceivers in 4G and 5G RUs worldwide.
“Samsung and ADI have long worked together to support the swift deployment of 5G in the global market,” said Dong Geun Lee, Vice President and Head of Hardware R&D Group, Network Business at Samsung Electronics. “We are excited for the successful launch of ADI’s new SoC, as we expect this cutting-edge technology will bring better 5G experience to consumers. We look forward to expanding our engagement with ADI.”
Demand for power efficient RUs is expanding rapidly as global network operators race to deploy 5G infrastructure. With the exponential growth of wireless demand, energy efficiency is a key metric for operators as they seek to reduce their carbon footprint while expanding network capacity. The new RadioVerse SoC series requires very low power compared to alternatives and implements advanced algorithms that deliver optimal RU system efficiency.
“RadioVerse SoCs are designed to optimize the full radio solution rather than just a single component or interface,” said Joe Barry, Vice President of Wireless Communications at Analog Devices. “Each successive generation has provided expanded capabilities, bandwidth and performance, while improving overall RU efficiency. This new RadioVerse SoC series takes a big step forward by delivering multiple advancements in signal processing to meet the demanding needs of 5G.”
The ADRV9040 is the first in the new RadioVerse SoC series. It offers eight transmit and receive channels of 400MHz bandwidth and integrates advanced digital signal processing functions, including carrier digital up-converters (CDUC), carrier digital down-converters (CDDC), crest factor reduction (CFR) and digital pre-distortion (DPD). This expanded signal processing can eliminate the need for a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), thereby reducing thermal footprint, and total system size, weight, power, and cost. The SoC’s DPD algorithms were developed using advanced machine learning techniques and are optimized in close collaboration with major power amplifier (PA) vendors to ease the design burden and deliver best-in-class wide bandwidth performance. The algorithms are fully tested and validated across 4G and 5G use cases, including various PA technology types such as gallium nitride (GaN). In addition, the ZiF radio architecture simplifies RF filtering and signal chain components, reducing RU cost and development time for band and power variants designs.
Suggested Items
Designers Notebook: Layer Stackup Planning for RF Circuit Boards
04/17/2025 | Vern Solberg -- Column: Designer's NotebookWhen designing multiple layer circuits requiring impedance control, the circuit board designer will work closely with an engineering specialist cognizant of RF printed circuit board design and layout, including mixed-signal applications.
Global PCB Connections: The Next Wave of HDI PCBs– How Design Engineers Can Stay Ahead
04/17/2025 | Jerome Larez -- Column: Global PCB ConnectionsHigh density interconnect (HDI) printed circuit boards have come a long way from their origins as a niche technology for miniaturized applications. Today, HDI PCBs are at the forefront of innovation, driven by an insatiable demand for faster, smaller, and more powerful electronic devices. As consumer electronics, 5G infrastructure, and AI-driven systems advance, design engineers must stay ahead of the curve to ensure their PCB designs meet evolving industry demands.
The Shaughnessy Report: Always With the Negative Waves
04/09/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy -- Column: The Shaughnessy ReportWhen I started covering PCB design in the ‘90s, RF designers comprised a small percentage of the design community. Other than cellphones and handheld GPS devices, RF wasn’t seen very often outside of military, aerospace, and law enforcement applications. Now, RF is everywhere. Almost every electronic device in your house and pocket—your cellphone, tablet, laptop, smartwatch, and wireless/smart speaker—contains RF technology. The entire wearable segment is built on RF technology
Mycronic’s Global Technologies Acquires United Kingdom Based RoBAT
04/07/2025 | MycronicMycronic’s Global Technologies division has acquired RoBAT, a company headquartered in the United Kingdom, which has developed a technology for fast and reliable tests of signal quality on PCBs.
SMT Perspectives and Prospects: Artificial Intelligence, Part 5: Brain, Mind, Intelligence
04/09/2025 | Dr. Jennie Hwang -- Column: SMT Perspectives and ProspectsCurrently, there is no single established test that can authoritatively measure artificial or human intelligence. Humans generate data, acquire information, and translate it into knowledge. Cumulative knowledge builds intelligence. As such, it is plausible to define human intelligence as the capacity to acquire knowledge and the ability to apply it to achieve desired outcomes.