Mixel
Shaping the Future of Mixed-Signal IP

Legos are a prime example of how simple, miniature pieces can be strategically conjoined to build complex structures of immense grandeur and scale; block by block, one brick at a time. Extending Lego’s ideology into the domain of mixed-signal IP, Ashraf Takla, founder, president and CEO of Mixel, a prominent mixed-signal IP provider, is leveraging a modular approach to improve the way IPs are designed and configured. “At Mixel, we have architected a unique ‘LegorithmicTM’ approach— utilizing IP cores as building blocks—to rapidly and reliably customize IP to meet a customer’s specific requirements,” says Takla.

Mixel’s silicon-proven IP cores are ready-to-integrate and highly configurable to cater to a wide range of applications, allowing companies to develop new systems rapidly while dramatically reducing risk, time-to-market, and development costs. With the unique requirements of customers in mind, Mixel comes up with ingenious ways to customize IP to help differentiate their product in the semiconductor industry. Those enhancements become a part of the Mixel IP’s distinctive feature sets, which then benefit other future customers.

Driving excellence in mixed-signal IP has been the cornerstone of Mixel since its inception in 1998. “Back then, the IP business was unproven and viewed with apprehensions,” notes Ashraf. Today, however, the scenario has changed significantly and the rising complexity in SoC designs has made it necessary for semiconductor companies to partner with external IP providers to meet their multifarious requirements.

Riding the growth wave of third-party IP business over the years, Mixel’s immense contribution to mixed-signal mobile IP has made them one of the leading names in the industry, with a differentiated portfolio of high-performance mixed-signal connectivity solutions. From its initial focus on interface IPs, particularly those used for mobile applications, Mixel has evolved considerably, rapidly expanding into automotive, IoT, VR, and AR domains. The company’s current mixed-signal portfolio includes mobile PHYs, LVDS, and multi-standard SerDes cores. “And as we enter our third decade of growth, we are focused on growing our global customer base, partnership network, and diversifying the Mixel IP portfolio,” remarks Takla.

Mixel’s active contribution to the MIPI Alliance since 2006 further highlights their prowess. Illustrating a successful implementation of their MIPI portfolio, Takla elucidates their patent-pending MIPI D-PHY RX+ configuration, created to enable their customers to achieve full-speed production test and in-system testability, while minimizing power and area penalty.

Moreover, as the cost of advanced nodes continues to skyrocket, the risks associated with achieving first-time silicon success have also increased considerably. Mixel’s motto since inception has been “First-time success is the rule, no exception,” which has served its customers well by mitigating their risk. Assessing the current marketplace, Takla also comments that companies looking to integrate IP in their design seek a complete solution with companion controller and hardware platform support, rather than just a standalone IP. Acting as a “one-stopshop,” Mixel provides comprehensive, packaged IP solutions and while doing so, “we also introduce customers to our well-established network of partners who support all their needs, from verification intellectual property, testing equipment vendors, and characterization labs to application-specific integrated circuit providers,” mentions Takla.

Through its 20 year history as a privately held firm, Mixel has garnered a stellar reputation in the IP market. As a roadmap, “We are committed to retaining our leadership position in the MIPI market, further expanding our IP portfolio, and accelerating our progress to cover advanced nodes,” concludes Takla.