IEEE ComSocSV/SCU SoE New Event (free): Inside a Telecom Chip Start-up and its 4G+5G Base Station SoC
Date & Time: May 30th, 2:30pm to 5pm
Venue: Santa Clara University – SCDI 1308
Register at: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/421628
Agenda/Timeline:
⦁ 2:30pm-3pm Registration & Networking
⦁ 3pm Opening Remarks
⦁ 3:05pm-4pm Presentation
⦁ 4pm-4:30pm Panel Discussion/Conversation
⦁ 4:30pm-4:50pm Audience Q & A
⦁ 4:50pm-4:55pm Closing Remarks & Acknowledgements
Abstract:
As 5G evolves for both public and private networks, edge demands will impact the fluidity and constructs of 5G infrastructure. Mobile network operators (public 5G) and enterprises (private 5G) are confronted with a daunting fundamental challenge:
How to deploy a wireless infrastructure that can effortlessly scale across all future upgrades (e.g. 5G Advanced) and demands, without incurring the traditional capital and operating expense of a system redesign and rip-and-replace costs?
This talk will cover the starting point of all wireless infrastructure – the 4G+5G baseband System on a Chip (SoC). We will discuss: how a”soft modem” can scale with evolving infrastructural demands across small cells and macro cells, new application use cases, emerging megatrends (such as 5G non-terrestrial networks), market fundamentals impacting 5G deployments, and personal insights into the starting and evolution of a 5G semiconductor startup company in the era of AI.
Five years in the making, EdgeQ emerged in 2018 as one of the very few semiconductor startups [1.] focusing on 5G wireless infrastructure. Led by executives from Qualcomm, Intel, and Broadcom, EdgeQ is pioneering converged connectivity and AI that is fully software-customizable and programmable. The company has raised multiple financing rounds, backed by world-renowned investors across all major continents. See below for awards EdgeQ has received.
Note 1. There’s been a significant decline in funding for semiconductor startups over the past 10 years due to a maturing industry, high capital requirements, and fewer exits. In 2021, chip startups globally raised $8.3 billion in 263 deals, but in 2023, U.S. startups have only raised $262 million in 17 deals. There have been EVEN FEWER semiconductor startups focusing on wireless telecommunications as EdgeQ has done.
Speakers and Panelists:
- Adil Kidwai, Head of Product Management, EdgeQ
- Edward Wu, Head of Marketing & Market Development, EdgeQ
Moderator: Alan J Weissberger, IEEE Techblog Content Manager, SCU SoE Scholar in Residence, IEEE GCN North American Correspondent
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EdgeQ Awards:
2023 GLOMO Award Winner
CTO Choice Award for Outstanding Mobile Technology
Best Digital Technology Breakthrough for Companies with Under $10M Annual Global Revenue
2022 Mobile Breakthrough Award Winner Small Cell Technology Innovation of the Year
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Addendum:
Video recording is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v42TnNjIfM
Qualcomm will be a tough competitor if they seriously enter into the wireless infrastructure market. They make good modems.
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References:
https://www.edgeq.io/edgeq-debuts-worlds-first/
https://techblog.comsoc.org/2024/03/03/edgeq-demos-massive-state-of-the-art-o-ran-based-mimo-solution-at-mwc-2024/
https://techblog.comsoc.org/2021/08/19/edgeq-samples-worlds-1st-software-defined-5g-base-station-on-a-chip/
Here are a few of the questions we’ll ask EdgeQ during our May 30th conversation at SCU:
How does a startup like EdgeQ intend to compete effectively in the wireless infrastructure space vs established chip companies like Intel, Qualcomm and Marvell? How about fabless semiconductor startups from India like Signal Chip, Saankyha Labs that are also pursuing the RAN market?
What are the market segments EdgeQ is now focusing on and which have the highest potential revenue growth for your company?
How important are on chip capabilities like WiFi, multi-carrier operation and asymmetric carrier aggregation for the markets EdgeQ is pursuing?
How can EdgeQ survive as the RAN market continues to deteriorate? Established 4G/5G base station vendors have experienced a severe decline in revenues while Open RAN startups like AirSpan and Parallel Wireless have gotten crushed!
Latest survey attributes Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) savings being the most critical issue for Open-RAN adoption. Also, Open-RAN has largely become a single vendor market which defeats its mix and match multi-vendor objective. What are your thoughts on these issues and how does EdgeQ address them?
What if anything needs to be reprogrammed in EdgeQ’s SoC to support 4G/5G private networks and 5G SA network features defined by 3GPP?
Are there any AI capabilities you now have or will soon introduce in future revisions of EdgeQ’s base station silicon?
Does EdgeQ do all its IC design and software in Bangalore, India or is any done in Santa Clara?
How does the EdgeQ Santa Clara team coordinate and work with EdgeQ silicon engineering in India on various projects? What about chip debugging, verification, and customer tech support?
Tell us about the next frontier in 5G – specifically, the mega trend of “Base Station in the Sky.” What is the 5G disruption anticipated there? And how might EdgeQ participate?
Having successfully gone through the startup journey, please describe it for our audience: From fundraising to coming out of stealth mode to customer acquisition, shipping product and revenue growth?
What advice would you give to any entrepreneurs in the chip space?
Hello Alan, Adil et al,
I was one of the in-person attendees, and heartily second Alan’s glowing endorsement of this exceptional IEEE/SCU SoE event. What I specially appreciated was the systematic breakdown of the SOC, and an analysis of various parameters comparing it on cost, performance, power, etc. to various incumbent 4G/5G base station vendor solutions and O-RAN players.
Plus, Adil’s answers to the audience’s questions were extremely helpful. And, the audience engagement (even if it was an exclusive audience!) was superb, which added to the value of the event.
Overall, big kudos to Alan and Adil, and the insightful audience questions!
Video recording is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v42TnNjIfM
In my opening remarks before the start of the video, I said that EdgeQ as a start-up faced 3 huge challenges to attract VC investments: 1] fabless semiconductor company (requires large capital investment & long lead times), 2]wireless infrastructure (a declining RAN market), and focused on new markets that did not exist at the time (e.g. private 5G networks and Open RAN)
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Hello Alan and all,
I heard many resounding positives of yesterday’s event. Very pleased that we/EdgeQ could be part of this. What a great way to punctuate the end of school year and beginning of summer.
Ed Wu, EdgeQ Head of Marketing