Cypress HyperBus Set to Get Standards Stamp

　　A technology developed by Cypress Semiconductor that's been well-adopted for several years now is set to become a standard. It will likely give the company an advantage in the short term and spur standards-based alternatives in the longer run.

　　The company said its high-bandwidth HyperBus 8-bit serial memory interface will be included in the new eXpanded SPI (xSPI) electrical interface standard from the Jedec Solid State Technology Association. The xSPI standard defines requirements for the compatibility of high-performance x8 serial interfaces, including read and write commands, electrical characteristics, signaling protocols for command and data transfers, and a standard pin-out in a Ball Grid Array (BGA) footprint. It hasn't actually been finalized yet, and a Jedec representative wasn't available to comment for this article.

　　In a telephone interview with EE Times, Rainer Hoehler, vice president of Cypress' flash business unit, said the inclusion of the HyperBus interface in the Jedec xSPI standard will simplify the design of HyperBus-based memories, as well as provide more flexibility for designers to implement instant-on functionality in automotive, industrial and IoT applications. The HyperBus Interface allows for faster boot time, direct execute-in-place (XIP) from flash, while reducing the amount of RAM needed.

　　The 12-pin HyperBus interface consists of an 8-pin address/data bus, a differential clock (2 signals), one chip select and a read data strobe for the controller and is aimed at enabling a wide range of high-performance applications, such as automotive instrument clusters, infotainment and navigation systems and factory automation systems.

　　The HyperBus technology can be traced back to Spansion, which merged with Cypress in 2015. The HyperBus interface was introduced in 2014, and is complemented by Cypress' high-density HyperFlash NOR Flash devices for embedded systems, announced in the same year, and high-speed HyperRAM devices for systems that need expanded scratchpad memory, first introduced in 2015.

　　Hoehler said the standardization of the HyperBus opens up the ecosystem and also pulls together divergent xSPI technologies, letting designers choose which memory devices they want to use in their systems. “It makes life easier for chipset vendors and their customers," Hoehler  said.

　　He said Cypress has plenty of design wins in the automotive sector, which is fine with committing to a pure HyperBus approach, but the industrial market is more fragmented. “They really rely on the standards they can choose," he said.

　　Outside of those two segments, Cypress sees opportunity for HyperFlash in networking equipment to support 5G technology.

　　Cypress has been focusing away from a low-margin, commoditized businesses and recently reported “stellar" third-quarter earningsdriven by the Internet of Things (IoT), the automotive market and USB-C. The company said its “Cypress 3.0" strategy begun in 2016 to focus on the IoT is paying off faster than expected.

　　Even as it looks to jettison low-margin engagements, industrial and automotive continue to key market segments. Jim Handy, principal analyst with Objective Analysis, said the foundation for its success in the latter goes as far back as Fujitsu, which spawned Spansion, now part of Cypress, and started the HyperRAM-HyperFlash-HyperBus troika. Getting this technology standardized under the auspices of Jedec will allow Cypress to make further inroads into any market it's already in, he said.

　　The standardization comes as no surprise, Handy added, and it's advantageous for Cypress because it's been in production for several years. “They have leg up on all competition," he said. But although it's getting its day in the sun now, he said, and it will be able to sell to those people concerned about being locked into a proprietary technology, in the longer term standardization means other companies will offer the technology.

　　Winbond might be a contender, if only partly, said Handy, as it's become a “powerhouse" in SPI flash. He wouldn't be surprised if some SRAM companies start offering HyperFlash, too, but only if Cypress is successful in creating a market worth going after. “It seems like SRAM companies are a shadow of their former selves," he said.