Reference design platform reduces time to market for radio designers

Analog Devices, Inc has released a fully integrated open radio unit (O-RU) reference design platform that allows radio designers to lower risk and time to market. The platform is a total solution from the optical fronthaul to RF and provides for hardware and software customisation for macro and small cell radio units (RUs). The platform employs industry-leading technologies that drive advanced 4G and 5G RU necessities and includes support for all sub 6GHz band and power variants, including multi-band applications.

With the timeline for O-RUs becoming more stringent and operator needs more demanding and complex, RU developer resources are stretched thinly. By employing this complete RU solution with comprehensive collateral resources, designers can concentrate on innovation, allowing their companies to compete for more RU design opportunities.

The ADRV904x-RD O-RU reference design platform comprises the company’s fifth generation 8T8R RadioVerse SoC with an advanced digital front end, including field-proven digital pre-distortion. Its fully featured, commercial O-RAN 7.2a IP Stack is hosted on Intel’s Agilex 7 F-series FPGA, providing exceptional performance/watt. The platform has been tested with Radisys Layer 2/3 software running on Intel FlexRan server hardware for 8T8R macro deployment scenarios.

“The design resources required to complete advanced RU designs are significant. ADI, together with Intel and Radisys, is enabling a more robust O-RAN ecosystem by offering a complete RU design platform with confirmed interoperability. We are pleased to work together with Intel and Radisys to accelerate Open RAN’s potential,” said Joe Barry, vice president of Marketing, Systems and Technology in the Communication and Cloud Business Unit at ADI.

“In the radio market, customers need the ability to build cutting-edge systems that fit the dynamic standards we see today. ADI’s ADRV904x-RD O-RU complements our high-performance Agilex 7 F-series FPGA in achieving this goal. Our broad silicon portfolio, in combination with ADI’s fifth generation 8T8R RadioVerse SoC with DFE, enables customers to accommodate a broad set of applications with differentiating feature sets,” said Mike Fitton, VP and GM of Intel’s Network Business Division.

“Radisys is pleased to continue the collaboration with Intel and ADI to provide our award-winning, Release 17 compliant, Connect RAN 5G software. Ease of integration and performance benchmarking with this advanced open radio design is an important step towards unlocking the full potential of Open RAN,” said Munish Chhabra, SVP and general manager, Software and Services at Radisys.