Imagination announces world’s first Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM combo IP
Imagination Technologies has announced IP that combines Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and FM receiver in one configurable solution – the world's first, according to the company. With this combination of technologies, a new family of Ensigma Series4 ‘Explorer’ radio processor unit (RPU) cores provides a range of solutions for integration onto Systems-on-Chips (SoCs) targeting next-generation mobile, wearables, IoT and other connected products.
The new IP is available in configurable cores including:
- C4531: Wi-Fi 802.11ac 2×2 + Bluetooth 4.0 + FM for products including tablets, ultrabooks, gaming consoles, smart TVs and more
- C4521: Wi-Fi 802.11ac 1×1 + Bluetooth 4.0 + FM for devices including smartphones and tablets
- C4511: Wi-Fi 802.11n 1×1 + Bluetooth + FM for products such as mobile handsets and wearables
The new Ensigma combo IP cores incorporate advanced algorithms and production-ready implementations of all supported standards to deliver better data throughput, sensitivity, and other key performance metrics, while minimizing host processing and power requirements.

Coexistence algorithms feature:
- Advanced scheduling algorithms based on Bluetooth TX/RX cycle prediction
- Coexistence-aware Carrier Sense, Packet Sync and Transmission
- Efficient baseband/MAC level information sharing to track frequency and signal threshold adaptation
- Multiple packet priorities for QoS across Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
- Optional shared antenna
- Support for standard 2, 3, 4 wire interface
Features include:
- Unified memory architecture for the lowest possible silicon footprint
- Maximum use of unified system memory, minimizing on-chip RPU memory demands for data and program storage
- Removal of interface bottlenecks and processing requirements for USB/SDIO
- Reduction of off-chip communication and external I/Os for increased power savings
- Better host power management for reduced overall system power consumption