NEC Invents Power Saving Chip

By Ron Seal

TOKYO --NEC has developed a system LSI chip uses a fraction of the energy needed by a cellular phone, Mobbed-online.com reports.

Amazingly, engineers halved the energy used by each element on the chip, dubbed the M2. So the current maximum cell phone battery life of seven hours will not be compromised, even if twice the power is required for high-speed telecommunications.

The chip even includes new functions, like mobile television broadcasting reception, alongside standards like telephone and data transmissions.

Their energy slashing strategy is built on five technological pillars. Excess voltage is cut through special circuitry, which detect whether transistor currents are too strong. Unnecessary power use is avoided through altering frequencies via the use of software.

Further energy usage cuts are achieved by miniaturising these chips, with the circuit width cut from the current 90 nanometers to 65nm.

NEC will ship samples of the M2, at around 5,000 yen. We've seen one and it is most impressive. The chip can be used in current 3G (third-generation) handsets as well as in units compatible with next-generation communications systems, including HSDPA.

Expect mass production to start in October, says our man at NEC, with output of 1 million chips a month targeted by the end of 2008.

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