Self-refresh DRAM for demanding automotive, industrial and consumer applications

Cypress Semiconductor has announced it is sampling a new high-speed, self-refresh Dynamic RAM (DRAM) based on the company's proprietary low-pin-count HyperBus interface. The 64Mb HyperRAM serves as an expanded scratchpad memory for rendering of high-resolution graphics or calculations of data-intensive firmware algorithms in a wide array of automotive, industrial and consumer applications. The devices operate with a read / write bandwidth of up to 333MBps and are available in 3V and 1.8V supply voltage ranges. When paired with a Cypress HyperFlash NOR Flash memory, HyperRAM enables a simple and cost-effective solution for embedded systems where both the flash and RAM reside on the same 12-pin HyperBus. Traditional systems with an SDRAM and Dual-Quad SPI solution require upwards of 41 pins on two buses for data transactions. The HyperRAM and HyperFlash solution reduces pin count by at least 28 pins, decreasing design complexity and lowering PCB cost. HyperRAM is an ideal solution for automotive clusters and infotainment, communication equipment, industrial applications and high-performance consumer products. “With the rapidly growing usage of high-resolution graphics and data-intensive applications in a wide range of systems, we see a growing need in the market for a simple, high-performance DRAM that provides external scratchpad memory for controllers with limited onboard RAM,” said Rainer Hoehler, vice president, Flash Business Unit, Cypress. “Our new 64Mb HyperRAM addresses this requirement with the low-pin-count HyperBus interface and its industry-leading read/write bandwidth. In addition to lower PCB cost, HyperRAM lowers MCU costs by reducing the number of pins needed compared with other DRAM solutions.” To accelerate product design cycles, Cypress offers a HyperBus Master Interface Controller IP Package. The controller IP helps designers add support for HyperBus to their Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) or Application-Specific Standard Product (ASSP) host controller platform. The Controller IP supports both HyperRAM, as well as HyperFlash products, and is free of charge and royalty-free, says the company.