Pace Soft Silicon ships first VoIP systems

Nanda N Kasabe

PUNE: Pace Soft Silicon has released its first VoIP based systems in

conjunction with Parthus Technologies, Dublin, one of the world’ leading

mobile platform vendors.

Pace Soft Silicon managing director Neil Salvi called this the first step in

the company’s strategy of building software-based IP components for SOC

(System On-a-Chip) implementations in the consumer and communications segments.

"Over the next year, we will be working closely with our development

partners and their OEM customers to understand what consumers want and to

deliver wireless voice and video systems accordingly," he told the CNS.

Salve was in Pune to oversee the company’s operations.

Pace Soft Silicon was founded in April 2000 to develop software silicon

intellectual property for wireless multimedia applications. The company is

focused on solutions targeted for applications such as Voice over IP, video,

cryptographic systems and Bluetooth. The company has optimized its software for

the TI, ARM and Motorola platforms. The company finds a mention among the top 33

quality emerging technology companies in Ireland at the SummIT2001.

Pace has also optimized their software to run on emergent type of silicon

architecture. Cradle Technologies, a US start-up, has developed its Universal

Microsystem (UMS) chip based on this architecture.

This new architecture is based on generic silicon with most of the

functionality implemented through custom written software. The emergence of this

new silicon architecture is expected to alter the way in which value can be

added to semiconductor solutions. These software solutions will be offered to

companies as an alternative to using custom built Application Specific

Integrated Circuits (ASICs). The silicon will become more of a commodity while

the real value of the solution will be added through custom written software.

Companies that get an early lead in creating value added IP around this software

will stand to benefit significantly as the market for this type of software

grows.

Elaborating on the new product, Salvi revealed that the company had already

developed the first generation software for coding/decoding VoIP and had

licensed it to Parthus Technologies for use in its MediaStream platform.

"We are currently developing a H.263 video decoder which will initially be

targeted at TI’s and Motorola’s wireless platforms," Apte said.