A startup is challenging Intel, Qualcomm, and other semiconductor giants with a new system-on-a-chip (SoC) that it claims replaces multiple functions of a 5G base station at a fraction of the power and cost.
EdgeQ, which has amassed over $50 million in funding since it was founded in 2018, is building what it calls a “base station on a chip” that consumes 50% less power in a smaller footprint than rival products in the category. The chip, which is in the final phases of development, features a programmable PHY and it promises to reduce the total cost of 5G base stations up to 50% compared with other products, such as Intel CPUs and Xilinx FPGAs. The chip also builds in artificial intelligence features to give a boost to 5G.