OXFORD, United Kingdom – December 10th, 2021
EnSilica, a leading provider of mixed-signal custom application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for the automotive, satellite communications and healthcare industries, today announced that it has been selected by AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTS) to develop the next generation ASIC for use in the company’s planned space-based cellular broadband network.
AST SpaceMobile is building the first and only global cellular broadband network in space to operate directly with standard, unmodified mobile devices. AST SpaceMobile’s mission is to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by today’s 5 billion mobile subscribers moving in and out of coverage, and bring cellular broadband to the approximately half of the world’s population that remains unconnected.
EnSilica is a leading supplier of custom ASICs covering advanced communication systems. EnSilica has deep expertise in both design and product engineering gained from its applications across the automotive and industrial industries and has the capabilities to meet the high reliability and harsh environmental requirements of space applications.
“We are delighted to be working alongside AST SpaceMobile to help deliver their mission. The provision of global coverage from a low Earth orbit satellite constellation is not only highly innovative, but aims to change the lives of billions of people all over the planet, and we are very pleased to be a part of it,” said Ian Lankshear, CEO of EnSilica.
After engaging with AST SpaceMobile more than a year ago, EnSilica has been selected to deliver a next-generation ASIC with state-of-the-art performance and power efficiency to maximise the unique capabilities of the company’s network. The ASIC will be a key communications component of the spacecraft electronics payload for AST SpaceMobile.
“AST SpaceMobile’s decision to select EnSilica was based on their advanced digital signal processing and RFIC work, enabling them to deliver the innovative architecture to meet our requirements for our next generation semi-conductor,” said Dr. Huiwen Yao, Chief Technology Officer of AST SpaceMobile. “We look forward to working with EnSilica to help AST SpaceMobile bring cellular broadband connectivity to the world.”