Where You Going? Barcelona (and Mobile World Congress)

9 Feb 2016 • 3 minute read

Mobile World Congress (MWC) is later this month in Barcelona in Spain (actually in Catalonia, but at least for now that is part of Spain despite a push for independence). Funnily enough, the last time I went to Barcelona was in 2002 on my previous tour of duty at Cadence. At that point, I was working in methodology services and one of the big conferences/shows on design process automation was there. I went to the forerunner of MWC called, I think, GSM World, when it took place in Cannes near VLSI's offices in Sophia Antipolis.

Even with the reduction in growth rates, mobile is still the biggest and fastest growing industry the world has ever seen. If you start to add in services, such as mobile banking, gaming, and advertising, and don't just count up handsets of chips, then it is a huge industry. I wrote about it recently.

Cadence will be at MWC. This is an opportunity for us to show off details of some of the most important IP that mobile devices need to incorporate. The focus is on audio and video offload, which is too power hungry to do on the ARM processor in every smartphone application processor, and on USB Type-C, the new connector that is having the fastest adoption ever (see my blog on USB Type-C).

Tensilica HiFi DSP for Audio and Voice and Tensilica Fusion DSP

See some of the latest tablets and notebooks that run Dolby Audio Premium on the Tensilica HiFi DSP. The custom-tuned speakers deliver high-quality audio and virtual surround sound for a more immersive experience.
Audio Weaver from DSP Concepts is an innovative design environment for developing optimized embedded audio software for our Tensilica HiFi DSPs. It embodies years of audio product development experience and enables algorithm and product developers to develop products and technology more quickly and efficiently.
Realtek is demonstrating ultra-low-energy "Always-On" sensor fusion with software partner Cywee and voice triggering with software partner Cyberon running on their new Tensilica Fusion DSP-based SoC.

Tensilica Vision DSP for Imaging and Computer Vision

Cadence's Tensilica Vision P5 DSP demos showcase face, people, and sign detection shows the processing power of our DSP running complex, convolutional neural network (CNN), HAAR Cascade, and HOG+SVM vision algorithms that can be used in applications like automotive ADAS, mobile, and surveillance cameras.
See the latest smartphone products using Tensilica Vision DSPs that produce stunning HDR, low-light enhancement, and panoramic stitching.
New demos on the Tensilica Vision P5 DSP face authentication from Sensory, fog removal from Urrmi Systems, and face detection from Irdia Labs.

IP Subsystem for USB Type-C and Power Delivery

USB Type-C is one of the greatest cable and connector revolutions in consumer electronics. It’s a single connector for data and video transfer with enough watts to power your phone (and any other devices on your desk).

Mobile Display Interface Solution from Cadence and Hardent

See the latest in a mobile display interface solution with Cadence MIPI Display Serial Interface (DSI) IP and Hardent VESA Display Stream Compression (DSC) enabling higher resolutions while reducing cost by implementing visually lossless compression and supporting higher bandwidth per lane.

IoT Demo Platform Using Cadence IP for MIPI SoundWire

See a complete IoT subsystem with a silicon-proven IoT processor using Cadence MIPI SoundWire IP for audio.

Barcelona

What about outside of the show? Barcelona's most famous inhabitant is Antoni Gaudi. He has buildings all over the city but is most famous for La Sagrada Familia, a church that was started during his lifetime and still is not completed (current plans are 2030). Even if you have never been to Barcelona, you have probably seen pictures of it. If you are going to Barcelona for the first time, then this is the one thing it is completely obligatory to go and see. See the picture at the beginning of this article.

I also like Parc Güell, which is away from the bustle of the town and might, even in the middle of MWC, actually be peaceful. (Apparently I had more hair 15 years ago.)

There is also a Miro Museum, technically called Fundació Joan Miró. Despite being woman's name in English, Joan is actually a male name. Take the funicular railway to get up there.

Cadence will be at Fira Gran Via, Barcelona, Spain, Hall 6, Stand 6L36. Sign up for a private demo or discussion at the show.