Concept: American semiconductor company Lattice Semiconductor (Lattice) has launched Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) solution stack. The solution extends Lattice’s portfolio of comprehensive, application-specific, low-power field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA)-based solutions. This enables advanced control data security, adaptable fronthaul synchronization, and low-power hardware acceleration for secure, flexible ORAN deployment.

Nature of Disruption: The ORAN Solution Stack is a full-service solution for 5G customers who aim to secure data, accelerate network function, and achieve precise synchronization. It offers an improved zero trust security by authenticating with real-time encryption and decryption functions. The solution includes RISC-V software to provide security features. It offers a user-friendly design interface that includes Lattice Propel and Lattice Radiant graphical tools to customize and implement security in ORAN applications. The ORAN Solution Stack offers IEEE 1588 protocol that aims to maintain strict timing and synchronization requirements between the Radio Unit (RU) and Distribution Unit (DU). This can support New Radio (NR) protocols, such as the enhanced Common Public Radio Interface (eCPRI). Lattice claims that the ORAN Solution Stack offers up to 70% less power and up to 100 more resistance to soft errors in the lowest physical size than comparable FPGAs of a similar class.

Outlook: ORAN enables the communication between cellular network components from various vendors. The communications industry is increasingly adopting the distribution and openness of ORAN for enhanced flexibility, innovation, and cost reduction. This open environment needs efficient low-power hardware acceleration and precise synchronization across components with safe and secure communication. Lattice’s comprehensive solution enables network acceleration with low power, flexible fronthaul synchronization, and robust security. The ORAN solution stack offers complete, application-specific solutions that integrate reference platforms and designs, demos, IP building blocks, FPGA design tools, and custom design services to speed up customer application development and time-to-market. Lattice claims that the portfolio of Lattice solution stacks includes products for market applications such as AI with Lattice sensAI, embedded vision with Lattice mVision, factory automation with Lattice Automate, platform firmware resilience root of trust with Lattice Sentry, and 5G ORAN deployment with Lattice ORAN. The company intends to address client issues in the expanding communications, computing, industrial, automotive, and consumer markets across the network, from the edge to the cloud.

This article was originally published in Verdict.co.uk