CAST COREspondence The IP Newsletter from CAST, Inc. — July 10, 2025
Summer is heating up in the northern hemisphere, and so is our lineup of IP cores. Our engineering team, along with those of our partners, has been staying cool and working methodically to launch several new cores in recent weeks, as you can read below.
But first, if your systems struggle with too much data and too little bandwidth, learn how hardware-accelerated lossless data compression can help in our July 17th webinar (register below).
You may be familiar with CAST offering A Better IP Experience. One pillar of that is the hot topic of flexible licensing. Find out what we mean by that — and why it can benefit you — in the blog post referenced below.
I hope you stay comfortable and enjoy the season. For our engineers, things will continue to heat up: watch for several more new IP cores through the summer. If you can’t wait, contact our sales team to learn more.
— Nikos Zervas, CEO
Webinar:
Lossless Data Compression Deep Dive
Lossless data compression is crucial for efficiency in many modern systems, and hardware acceleration is often the most effective way to implement it.
In this technical webinar, our Dr. Calliope-Louisa Sotiropoulou will share expert insights into key lossless algorithms — GZIP, LZ4, Snappy, and Zstd — and explore the trade-offs in compression ratio, speed, and resource demands that each provides. She will illustrate the benefits of hardware acceleration using our Lossless Data IP Cores family, and help you learn how to choose the best compression method and accelerator for your particular requirements.
As will be covered in the webinar, LZ4 and Snappy each offer distinct compression advantages for particular types of data and system requirements. Some systems must handle both, and our dual algorithm cores now give you end-to-end hardware acceleration in efficient dual-format LZ4 and Snappy compression and decompression engines. The Decompressor has been available for a while; read about the recent launch of the new Compressor.
New IP:
Multi-Channel Streaming DMA IP Core
This new core transfers data to and from the system memory space, accessible via an AXI bus, and up to 16 peripherals equipped with AXI4-Stream input and/or output interfaces. Its many configuration options will help satisfy your system requirements, and your ASIC or FPGA system can benefit from its compact size and efficient bus bandwidth utilization. Learn more about the MC-SDMA Multi-Channel Streaming DMA Controller and our full DMA Controller Family.
New IP:
AC’97 Audio Interface Controller
We’ve just introduced a new AC’97 Audio Interface Controller that gives you a smart, efficient, and flexible way to employ this rock-solid audio standard. The core is highly configurable to meet different system needs and supports the latest spec with up to 10 input and 10 output channels, making it suitable for a variety of applications, including 5.1 surround audio systems. It’s ideal for updating legacy systems or is a small, fast choice for new systems with modest audio needs. Read more in this Tech Note and see details on the core’s product page.
Additional FuSa Certifications
Already strong, we’ve recently achieved additional ISO 26262 ASIL-ready certifications in our Functional Safety IP Cores lineup. The independent testing lab SGS-TÜV Saar has awarded ASIL B to the Smart Card Reader, ASIL D to the Gigabit eMAC, and ASIL B through D to the xSPI Serial Memory Controller. Read more in this press release.
Flexible IP Licensing Explained
Customers appreciate the “flexible licensing” we’ve always provided. But what exactly does that mean? Find out in this recent blog post, and be sure to talk with us about getting the best licensing terms for your next IP purchase.
Upcoming Events – Let’s Talk IP
CAST Webinar — Unpacking System Performance: Supercharge Your Systems with Lossless Compression IPs
Host: Dr. Calliope-Louisa Sotiropoulou.
Wednesday, July 17, 2025 — 8:00 am PDT Register in advance.
Design & Reuse IP-SoC China 2025
September 11th, 2025
Renaissance Shanghai Pudong Hotel
No.719 Yingchun Road, Lianyang District, Pudong,
Shanghai, China. Details on the event website.
Design & Reuse IP-SoC South Korea 2025
September 16th, 2025
COEX Conference Rooms 317 and 318
3rd Floor, COEX, 513 Yeongdong-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06164, South Korea. Details on the event website.
RISC-V Summit North America 2025
October 22– 25, 2025
Santa Clara Convention Center
Santa Clara, California. RISC-V Summit Website.
