Leuven, Belgium, October 8, 2002 ---The world is evolving into ubiquitous smart environments, where ambient intelligence allows consumers to access information and services electronically…any time, any place.  Making these smart environments a reality requires three major building blocks:  (1) a wireless network, which delivers personalized infotainment, communication, navigation, etc.; (2) hidden, pervasive computing with hundreds of electronic devices residing in the background of our daily lives; (3) devices that can see, listen, feel and become sensitive and adaptive to people.

One of the major obstacles facing the reality of multimedia services delivered via ubiquitous broadband wireless communications is the need for terminals featuring multi-mode radios, enabling seamless connection to heterogeneous wireless networks. Many and various services envisaged for the future wireless smart environment will demand high bandwidth and quality-of-service (QoS). Terminals will evolve to become wearable personal assistants, featuring a wide variety of multimedia services and high-quality wireless multi-mode connectivity.

To bridge the gap between microelectronics and complex system design and to exploit the most advanced components for the realization of low-cost, low-power Multi-Mode Multi-Media terminals, IMEC has announced the launch of its new M4 program.

IMEC has built up considerable expertise in critical competencies, resulting in research programs on wireless communications, ambient multimedia, design technology, and reconfigurable systems. Today, it is extending its strategy further to converge and integrate these research activities.

“By strengthening our multi-disciplinary approach through programs such as M4, IMEC will develop key technologies to enable future multi-mode multimedia systems,” stated Dr. Rudy Lauwereins, Vice-President Design Technology for Integrated Information and Communications Systems.  “Only this convergent synergy is able to bring attractive solutions for the ever-more complex systems to be integrated at low cost and low power.”

The M4 program will drive IMEC’s research on flexible air interfaces, scalable multimedia systems, platform integration, and on appropriate design technologies:.

Flexible air interfaces

Given the variety in geographical environment and terminals, there is no one ideal solution for the transmission scheme. A flexible digital modem that can adapt to the link and QoS demands will be required. The modem will be connected to a multi-mode radio. For optimal spectral efficiency and power bookkeeping, advanced coding schemes (linking source and channel coding) and multiple antenna systems will be crucial. An intelligent controller at the medium access control (MAC) layer should eventually link application to transmission in an optimal way.

Scalable multimedia systems

In an ambient-multimedia environment, multimedia information can be consumed virtually everywhere, using a variety of heterogeneous networks and terminals. Scalable multimedia encoding will be a key functionality that allows to create content only once and to adapt it on the fly to the network and terminal characteristics, using resource and QoS managers.

Platform integration

IMEC is targeting a ‘system-in-a-package’ (SiP) for the M4 terminal. This SiP needs to incorporate a low-power consuming (‘coarse’-grained) reconfigurable digital system and a reconfigurable (‘software defined’) radio (requiring advanced technological components such as RF-MEMS). Increasing integration in mixed-signal chips will demand measures to minimize coupling of digital switching noise through the substrate to the analog blocks. The interconnect and leakage problems encountered in deep-submicron technologies, are considered up to the design level.

Design technologies

This new class of flexible systems requires an accurate and efficient design flow, demanding consistent methodologies both at design time and run time. Design of the system will start with an executable specification of the complete system including the RF part, followed by transformation of the system to reduce the power consumption. A power-efficient implementation can be obtained by applying data transfer and storage exploration, and task concurrency management. Finally trade-offs have to be made between technological parameters (such as leakage, interconnects) and the system needs to be integrated in silicon and the package.

For the run-time operation, the heterogeneous systems consisting of several processing units (hardware and software) require an operating system that guarantees QoS of the application. This operating system will have to assign and schedule tasks and manage the HW/SW resources (reconfiguration) and QoS.

The M4 initiative is a strategic program that will integrate IMEC’s long-term research in several domains such as design methodologies, wireless applications, advanced components, etc. Current IMEC Industrial Affiliation Programs (IIAPs) will further align and evolve within the M4 context. 

Currently, a detailed technical specification of the M4 program is being developed and will be available shortly.

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Notes to editors

About IMEC

IMEC was founded in 1984 and today is Europe’s largest independent research center in the field of microelectronics, nanotechnology, enabling design methods and technologies for ICT systems. IMEC's activities concentrate on the design technology for integrated information and communication systems; silicon process technology; silicon technology and device integration; nanotechnology, microsystems, components and packaging; solar cells; and advanced training in microelectronics. IMEC is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and has a staff of more than 1200 people including over 350 industrial residents and guest researchers. IMEC has a 0.13µm 200mm pilot line and is ISO9001 certified. Its revenue of more than 120Meuro is derived from agreements and contracts with the Flemish government and companies, the EC, MEDEA+, the European Space Agency, equipment and material suppliers, and semiconductor and system-oriented companies worldwide. News from IMEC is located at www.imec.be.

For more information:

Katrien Marent

Corporate Communication Manager

IMEC, Kapeldreef 75

B- 3001 Leuven, Belgium

Tel +32 16 28 18 80       Fax +32 16 28 16 37

Email: Katrien.Marent@imec.be