Using TechInsights' Mobile RF product to track design trends and gain a competitive advantage in mobile radio design

The Challenge

The organization needed to benchmark their designs from an RFIC level perspective against their competitors. They sought detailed information on foundries, technology nodes, block sizing for key circuit components, packaging, and overall die utilization in leading competitors’ designs. Without this knowledge, the company risked missing significant design opportunities in handsets, which could hinder their efforts to secure key socket wins in their growth markets.

Identifying and tracking design trends and implementation of 5G requirements in competitors RF FE modules, from silicon to piezo dice to substrate direct matching interconnect and packaging, is critical to validate the pace of innovation needed for the client to consolidate and expand their market share with the smartphone OEMs.

The Solution

TechInsights’ Mobile RF provided comprehensive details on RF components, RF filters, and RFIC interconnections within the RF Front End designs of leading 5G handsets. This information enabled the organization to better project OEM design requirements for their RF chipsets, identify where their competitors’ designs excelled or fell short, and thereby maintain and potentially increase their market share in the high-end handset sector.

TechInsights’ Mobile RF was also used by the business in analyzing die layouts and standard cell configurations for Transceivers, Front End Power Management ICs, and Front-End Modules, including transistor-level circuit extraction in key front-end module designs. This analysis allowed the organization to benchmark their RF Switch, Low Noise Amplifier (LNA), and Power Amplifier designs against multiple competitors and emerging players, helping them stay ahead of potential competitive threats.

The Results

TechInsights’ Mobile RF empowered the business to strategically position their designs with handset OEMs, paving the way for securing future socket wins. By leveraging our analysis to gain insights into die utilization and standard technology node requirements for successful designs, they were able to optimize die sizing for upcoming components. This approach not only reduced die sizes but also increased the number of die that could be fit per wafer with their foundry partners, potentially leading to cost reductions.