SoC (System on Chip)

Definition

A System on Chip (SoC) refers to a single-integrated circuit (chip) composed of all the components of an electronic system. A SoC is heterogeneous, in addition to classical digital components: processor, memory, bus, etc.; it may contain analog and radio components. The SoC market has been driven by embedded computing systems: mobile phones and handheld devices.

Discussion

Historical View

Gordon Moore predicted in 1965 the exponential growth of silicon integration and its consequences on the application of integrated circuits. Following this growth, known as Moore’s Law, the number of transistor integrated on a single silicon chip has doubled every 18 months, leading to a constant growth in the semi conductor industry for over 30 years. This technological evolution implied constant changes in the design of digital circuits, with, for instance, the advent of gate level simulation and logic synthesis. Amongst these changes, the advent of System on Chip (SoC) represented a...