Core tip : Touch chip vendors are stepping up the deployment of large-scale OGS solutions. In the face of recent processor giants' shareholdings, mergers and acquisitions or strategic alliances, they are actively developing SoCs and turnkey solutions that integrate touch functionality (Turnkey SoluTIon). Touch chip developers have fully prepared for and accelerated the development of large-scale OGS solutions. In order to prevent the processor plant power from getting bigger.
Touch chip suppliers will attack large-scale single-chip glass solutions (OGS). After NVIDIA, Intel, MediaTek, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments and other processor manufacturers also intend to develop a system-on-chip (SoC) that integrates touch algorithms and a central processor (CPU) combined with Turnkey SoluTIon deployment of touch chip, thereby highlighting the differentiation of its products and expanding the territory of the processor. After the big processor manufacturers stepped into the field of touch chips, the market share of the existing touch chip companies is bound to face no small threat, so that the touch chip vendors will work hard to strengthen the development strength of large-scale OGS solutions to consolidate the market position.
Enhance product added value CPU factory SoC integrated touch function
NPD DisplaySearch research director Xie Zhongli pointed out that in the past, tablet device brands purchased touch chip solutions integrating analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), microcontrollers (MCUs), memories and algorithms from touch chip suppliers The tablet device realizes diverse touch functions. Today, by purchasing ADCs and algorithms from touch chip vendors such as Atmel, SynapTIcs and ELAN, Huida has launched Tegra 3 with integrated touch algorithms for the tablet device market. Four plus one core processor (four core processor with a co-processor) can realize the preset touch function, and save the cost of a single MCU up to $ 1 for a tablet device brand customer.
Figure 1 Tao Yixin, Director of the Elan Electronic Product Development Department, said that the company ’s revenue contribution from the 11.6-inch large-size touch chip solution has exceeded the small and medium-sized product line, and will continue to climb in the future.
Tao Yixin, director of the Elan Electronic Product Development Department (Figure 1) mentioned that Tegra 3 mainly executes touch algorithms through a co-processor with four plus one core processors, so it will not affect the four core processors to execute tablet devices. The computing performance of the function will not cause the power consumption of the quad-core processor to increase at the same time.
It is understood that not only Huida, but Intel and MediaTek have also acquired Duntai Technology and Morningstar touch chips and their algorithms through share purchases and acquisitions respectively. In the future, they will have the opportunity to deploy SoCs that integrate touch algorithms. Enter the tablet device market.
Tao Yixin believes that by purchasing chips and their algorithms from touch chip manufacturers, large processor manufacturers can create SoC solutions for different product positioning and eat the high-end and low-end application markets; at the same time, they can also increase the added value of their processors .
However, Tao Yixin emphasized that although processor manufacturers advertise that SoCs with integrated touch algorithms can save MCU costs for tablet device brand customers, the total bill of materials (BOM) costs are not always visible after adding the cost of the procurement algorithm Compared with the traditional simple touch chip solution, it has more cost advantages.
Processor manufacturers start fire, touch IC vendors fully prepared
As processor makers have mastered touch chips and related algorithms through shareholdings, acquisitions and strategic alliances, they plan to develop SoCs that integrate touch functions and turnkey solutions that integrate CPUs with touch chips, which is bound to compress existing touch The market survival space of chip manufacturers, and therefore, touch chip manufacturers are trying to strengthen the product competitiveness of large-scale solutions to avoid the integration of touch function SoCs by processor manufacturers and the market impact of turnkey solutions. expand.
Figure 2 Wang Jiayu, the project manager of STMicroelectronics ’analog and sensor technology marketing department, pointed out that the company has launched Sensor Hub single-chip integrated touch functions for different applications.
Wang Jiayu (Figure 2), project manager of the analog and sensor technology marketing department of STMicroelectronics (ST), pointed out that large processor manufacturers have acquired shareholdings or acquisitions to obtain touch chip vendors ’product line resources, in addition to the development of integrated touch functions. In addition to SoC, it also plans to launch a turnkey solution, which will undoubtedly become a major weapon for expanding the market share of processor and touch chip solutions.
It is understood that Huida is currently launching Tegra 3 with integrated touch functions for tablet devices. It is to purchase low-cost ADCs and related touch calculations from touch chip manufacturers such as Atmel, Synopsys, and ELAN Electronics. Built by the law, so touch chip manufacturers are still profitable.
However, Xie Zhongli pointed out that once major processors such as Huida, Intel, MediaTek, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments have acquired touch-related chips and algorithms through shareholdings, acquisitions, and strategic alliances, the proportion of future purchases The trend is going to fall sharply, and the market penetration rate of existing touch chip manufacturers will be reduced by then.
In addition, Wang Jiayu analyzed that the SoC with integrated touch function cannot adjust the touch algorithm based on the projects of various brands and the panels used. Therefore, it lacks the flexibility of use and is close to customer needs. The turnkey solution of the control chip can be optimized according to the performance and functional requirements of the customer, and can provide the flexibility for the customer to choose other brands of CPU and touch chip. Therefore, compared with SoCs that integrate touch functions, the turnkey solutions proposed by major CPU manufacturers will be even more destructive to the market of touch chip manufacturers.
In view of this, touch chip manufacturers have stepped up the research and development of thick and large-scale touch solutions to strengthen product competitiveness. Tao Yixin emphasized that SoCs integrating touch functions for processor manufacturers are mainly aimed at small and medium-sized application markets such as smart phones and tablet devices. Therefore, the company will increase the size of 11.6-inch or larger processors that it is still difficult for processor manufacturers to span. Touch plan layout to break through.
It is reported that the complexity of the chip combination outside the 11.6-inch large-size touch screen is doubled, and the amount of data transmitted to the processor operation is also large, which will increase the workload of the processor; coupled with the modification of the algorithm, it must be greatly adjusted The operating system is leading to increased challenges in the development of SoCs that integrate touch algorithms. Therefore, Tao Yixin believes that the integrated touch algorithm algorithm SoC released by major processor manufacturers will be more profitable under 11.6 inches.
In addition, Xie Zhongli also pointed out that touch chip vendors are actively moving towards the development of touch technologies suitable for touch screens larger than 20 inches, such as InGlass Optical Touch Technology and PSD touch. The deployment of technology, etc., can also reduce the impact of large processor manufacturers striding into small and medium-sized touch applications.
In the face of the big CPU manufacturers are intensively deploying integrated SoC and integrated solution layout of touch function, in addition to strengthening the competitiveness of large-scale solutions, touch chip vendors will also step up the development of a single-chip solution with Sensor Hub integrated touch function , To grab the big business opportunities in the smart phone market.
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