CSR adds Wi-Fi to its automotive-grade family of offerings to drive connected car platforms

Leading customers designing CSR6000 into in-vehicle platforms for 2012 and beyond

In summary

“With Bluetooth attach rates exceeding 40% and Wi-Fi attach rates expected to reach 14% by 2012 according to iSuppli, CSR is well positioned to service the market need for seamless connectivity between the next generation Infotainment systems and the Wi-Fi-enabled consumer devices being brought into the vehicle.”


Cambridge, UK and San Jose CA, USA - CSR (LSE: CSR) today announces the introduction of CSR6000, the world’s first fully automotive-qualified standalone Wi-Fi solution to broaden its offerings for the connected car platforms. It offers our customers a low risk and cost effective way to add Wi-Fi to existing automotive designs. Pre-integrated and validated on CSR’s automotive grade SiRFprima reference platform, CSR6000 is also designed for easy integration into our customers’ preferred host application processor platforms. Truly designed just for this market, CSR6000 offers high RF performance across the automotive temperature range and a QFN package facilitating chip on board designs. In addition, CSR offers a Wi-Fi software suite supporting all of the major automotive operating systems.

The increasing adoption of Wi-Fi in smartphones and other consumer devices has led to a growing demand for automotive OEMs to support and interact with these devices inside vehicles. The CSR6000 offers automotive customers the easiest route to adding Wi-Fi into their existing designs. Customers can take their designs based on CSR’s market leading BlueCore automotive grade chipsets and CSR Synergy software and complement this already validated, compatibility-tested solution with Wi-Fi. The CSR Synergy software suite includes the widely used Bluetooth stack alongside the host Wi-Fi software for the CSR6000 chipset family. This provides a simple, single software component to customers, with support for both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, allowing for easier integration, co-operation and coexistence of these technologies.

CSR6000 host software for Wi-Fi will support a number of operating system automotive and PND platforms: Linux, Genivi Linux, QNX, Windows Automotive as well as Android.

CSR has already engaged many of our leading automotive tier one and tier two customers in CSR6000-based programmes planned for production launch in 2012. These programmes cover a number of application use cases which are discussed in the Notes for Editors below.

CSR’s complete automotive platform

“With Bluetooth attach rates exceeding 40% and Wi-Fi attach rates expected to reach 14% by 2012 according to iSuppli, CSR is well positioned to service the market need for seamless connectivity between the next generation Infotainment systems and the Wi-Fi-enabled consumer devices being brought into the vehicle,” commented Thomas Carmody, Head of Connectivity Marketing in CSR’s Automotive and PND Business Unit.

“As part of our automotive platform strategy, CSR is now able to combine the AEC-Q100 qualified SiRFprimaAutoTM System on Chip (SoC), CSR’s automotive-grade Bluetooth solutions, the automotive-grade CSR6000 Wi-Fi family of devices and associated CSR Synergy connectivity host software, overcoming a major challenge faced by systems integrators in terms of both the time required for connectivity integration and the associated cost of software design, debugging and testing,” added Carmody.

To further the goal of supporting rapid adoption and deployment of the infotainment systems using our products, CSR has recently joined the Genivi Alliance, a non-profit automotive industry alliance driving the broad adoption of in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) reference platforms. CSR recognises the emerging trend in automotive infotainment to reuse software where possible thereby reducing development costs, speed time to market and increase the pace of innovation in automotive electronics. We expect to actively contribute to the Genivi efforts in future, ensuring our connectivity (including CSR6000 chipset family), location and SoC technologies make the best use of the Genivi IVI reference solution.

Availability and pricing
The CSR6000 family is available today in mass production volumes.

Please contact your CSR representative for further information on pricing.

For more information about the Genivi Alliance visit: www.genivi.org

Notes to Editors

Uses for Wi-Fi in our cars

In-car Wi-Fi Hotspots: Wi-Fi provides an access point for any handset or other consumer electronics devices brought into the vehicle. A factory-installed modem, or a smartphone acting as a modem, can provide access to the internet in much the same way as we enjoy in it our homes, offices and on the move.
Fast-Sync via Bluetooth: Devices conforming to the Bluetooth v3.0+HS specification will be able to make use of in-car Wi-Fi radio to achieve rapid synchronisation of data. Bluetooth High Speed will allow consumers to synchronise devices to and from the in-vehicle system, at an expected rate of ten times or more the speed of traditional Bluetooth. This will be useful for syncing phonebook contacts with images, messages with large attachments, messages, music and videos etc.
Wi-Fi on the Move: a vehicle with integrated wireless connectivity is enabled to synchronise to the Wi-Fi infrastructure from the garage to the home; outside the home for media synchronisation, as well as outside cafés, motorway service stations and other places for location-relevant information. Vehicles will also have the functionality to seamlessly and securely deliver diagnostics reports to dealers/mechanics, supporting safe and reliable driving.
Rearview Cameras: In-car Wi-Fi can also provide the connection for cameras to deliver reverse and other angle images to the centre console display. This is designed to simplify and lighten the in-vehicle harness for these kinds of systems.
Media Streaming: In-car Wi-Fi allows consumer portable media devices to stream music and/or video to the in-vehicle system.

Packaging and further information
The CSR6000 family comes in an automotive-friendly QFN package, reducing the costs of manufacturing for chip-on-board designs.

CSR6000 supports the IEEE 802.11b.g.n standards and offers Wi-Fi Client, Wi-Fi Access Point, Bluetooth v3.0+HS as well as Wi-Fi Direct™ support. It also supports all major Wi-Fi encryption standards (IEEE 802.11 WFA WPA/WPA2). In order to support the important Chinese market the CSR6000 family also supports the Chinese encryption standard WAPI, with integrated SMS4 hardware acceleration to improve the performance of secure Wi-Fi communications.

To ensure no compromises have to be made to Bluetooth performance when adding Wi-Fi to automotive designs both CSR6000 and CSR’s Bluetooth products support a dedicated hardware interface to communicate with companion CSR chipsets to offer superior coexistence performance when Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are operating simultaneously. Our CSR Synergy software complements the hardware coexistence with software logic, to further improve the regular communication between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to avoid either radio interfering with the other.

The release of the SiRFprimaAuto last year introduced CSR’s strategy of the Connected SoC Navigation platforms. These platforms come pre-integrated with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capability, speeding time to market while also reducing our customers’ nonrecurring and recurring costs, such as device compatibility. Pre-integrated CSR6000 support will be offered on both the SiRFprima and SiRFatlas platforms this year to enable all the major Wi-Fi uses case.
About CSR

CSR plc is a leading provider of multifunction connectivity and location platforms. CSR’s technology portfolio includes Bluetooth, GPS, FM, Wi-Fi (IEEE802.11), UWB, NFC and other technologies to enable silicon platforms that incorporate fully integrated radio, baseband and microcontroller elements. CSR’s Connectivity Centre is designed to enhance the user experience with mainstream mobile devices by intelligent integration of multiple wireless connectivity and location-awareness technologies. CSR’s Location Platforms are complemented by wireless connectivity and multimedia capabilities for high-volume mobile consumer devices and commercial applications.

CSR’s technology has been adopted by market leaders into a wide range of mobile consumer devices such as mobile phones, automobile navigation and telematics systems, portable navigation devices (PNDs), wireless headsets, mobile computers, mobile internet devices, GPS recreational devices, digital cameras, mobile gaming, plus a wide range of personal and commercial tracking applications.
Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains certain statements (including statements concerning plans and objectives of management for future operations or performance, or assumptions related thereto) that are ‘forward looking statements’ within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 in relation to the CSR6000 automotive-grade family of Wi-Fi chipsets, and other future events and their potential effects on CSR. These forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as ‘made possible by,’ ‘enabled by,’ ‘will be,’ and other similar expressions regarding the performance characteristics of the CSR6000 automotive-grade family of Wi-Fi chipsets, and related products. Any future release of the CSR6000 automotive-grade family of Wi-Fi chipsets, related products or modifications to such products’ capability, functionality or features are subject to ongoing evaluation by CSR, and may or may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by CSR and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. Such forward-looking statements represent the current expectations and beliefs of management of CSR, and are based upon numerous assumptions regarding CSR’s business strategies and the environment in which CSR will operate and therefore involve a number of known and unknown risks, contingencies, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of CSR, including, but not limited to, those detailed from time to time in CSR’s periodic reports (whether under the caption Risk Factors or Forward Looking Statements or elsewhere), which are available at the SEC’s web site http://www.sec.gov. Each forward looking statement speaks only as of the date hereof. CSR does not undertake to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward looking statements contained herein, otherwise than required by law.