Here’s a more detailed presentation on this ADC chip. Talks about Wassenaar restrictions on ADC, applications in telecom, radar/EW, medical device, AI optical interconnects and instruments. Fabbed and packaged by domestic fabs (likely 28nm), which requires specialized mixed signal 28nm process, not your ordinary logic cmos process
Chengdu accelerates the development of a domestically produced smart chip ecosystem by collaborating across the entire supply chain.
The "Chengdu Embodied Intelligence Industry Innovation and Development Action Plan (2025-2027)" was recently officially released. The plan proposes achieving an industry scale exceeding 50 billion yuan by 2027, implementing a campaign to develop leading sectors, and listing the development of a domestically produced smart chip ecosystem as one of its strategic goals. In recent years, Chengdu, guided by major national strategic needs and adhering to the principle of "strengthening design, supplementing manufacturing, expanding packaging and testing, and extending the supply chain," has strived to establish itself as a strategic backup base for the national integrated circuit industry and a national "core" hub. This has outlined a blueprint for the industry's core development, transitioning from "ecological synergy" to "cluster development."
In September this year, Chengdu Huawei Electronics Technology Co., Ltd. successfully launched the first domestically produced 4-channel 12-bit 40GSPS high-speed and high-precision RF direct-source ADC chip - HWD12B40GA4. This breakthrough not only refreshed the performance record of domestic ADCs, but also marked that my country has reached the international leading level in the field of high-end RF direct-source.
In the packaging and testing segment of the supply chain, Chengdu Yicheng Technology Co., Ltd.'s board-level high-density sealing and testing facility has also performed exceptionally well. As the only company in mainland China capable of mass-producing high-density FOMCM (Fan-Out Multi-Chip Interconnect Platform) products, Yicheng Technology has continuously improved production efficiency and quality since achieving mass production of this platform in October 2024, providing critical packaging and testing support for the localization of high-end chips. Intel's Chengdu facility, one of Intel's largest chip packaging and testing centers globally, processes over half of the world's laptop CPUs for packaging and testing in Chengdu. In the terminal application sector, local server company Huakun Zhenyu has become the largest domestic seller of ARM-based computing servers.
Chengdu currently houses over 400 integrated circuit (IC) companies, including BYD Semiconductor, Chengdu Haiguang, Texas Instruments, Moore's Thread, and Muxi. The city has also fostered 51 national "specialized, sophisticated, and innovative" small giants and 12 supply chain leaders. Chengdu's revenue has maintained rapid growth exceeding 10% for three consecutive years, projecting 83 billion yuan in 2024, an 18% year-on-year increase, placing it eighth nationwide in terms of industry scale. Chengdu has initially established a relatively complete industrial system encompassing IC design, wafer fabrication, advanced packaging and testing, and equipment and materials, with distinct advantages in computing, communications, power semiconductors, and analog.
What????????? How did this get missed?
precision guidance, Thz Imaging and Communication Applications, Quantum Computing and Control Systems, Astronomical Observation and Deep Space Exploration, 5G/6G Communications Infrastructure,
在应用场景上，HWD12B40GA4 的适配范围极广，可广泛用于
雷达、商业卫星、电子对抗、无线通信、高端仪器仪表、无人机等领域，未来市场潜力巨大。据了解，目前该芯片已向部分核心客户送样，且已有明确意向订单，距离规模化落地更近一步。
业内人士评价，这款芯片的发布，不仅彰显了成都在高端芯片领域的技术实力，更代表中国高端芯片产业的 “集体飞跃”—— 它证明国产芯片完全有能力在顶尖技术领域与国际巨头同台竞技，甚至实现局部超越。
芯片核心技术特点
- 集成4 个独立通道，支持多通道同步采样，适配复杂信号处理需求；
- 采样率灵活可调：4 通道模式下24～40GSPS，双通道模式下48～80GSPS，满足不同场景精度与速度要求；
- 模拟输入带宽19GHz，覆盖多频段高频信号；
- 支持J204C 高速串口输出，适配高速数据传输链路；
- 经过严苛可靠性测试，在工业级、军工级场景中仍能稳定工作。
The HWD12B40GA4 has a wide range of applications, including radar, commercial satellites, electronic countermeasures, wireless communications, high-end instrumentation, drones, and other fields
The sampling rate is flexibly adjustable: 24-40 GSPS in four-channel mode and 48-80 GSPS in dual-channel mode, meeting the accuracy and speed requirements of different scenarios.
The analog input bandwidth is 19 GHz, covering multi-band high-frequency signals.
It supports JESD204C high-speed serial port output, adapting to high-speed data transmission links.
After rigorous reliability testing, it can still operate stably in industrial and military-grade scenarios.
日前，成都高新区企业
成都华微电子科技股份有限公司
成功推出国产首颗
4通道12位40GSPS高速高精度
射频直采ADC芯片—HWD12B40GA4。
这一突破不仅再次刷新了国产ADC的性能纪录，
更标志着我国在高端射频直采领域
已达到国际领先水平。
日前，成都高新区企业成都华微电子科技股份有限公司成功推出国产首颗4通道12位40GSPS高速高精度射频直采ADC芯片—HWD12B40GA4。这一突破不仅再次刷新了国产ADC的性能纪录，更标志着我国在高端射频直采领域已达到国际领先水平。
据介绍，在高速信号处理的世界中，射频直采（RF Direct Sampling）技术被誉为“皇冠上的明珠”，能够直接对高频射频信号进行采样，大幅简化系统设计、提升可靠性并降低功耗。而这项技术的门槛极高，尤其是对于KU波段（12-18GHz）的应用，长期被国外极少数厂商垄断。
so now you have 12-bit resolution for ku band signals. That's much better resolution than the 8-bit resolution previously
China's first domestically produced quad-channel, 12-bit, 40 GSPS high-speed, high-precision RF direct sampling ADC chip. This breakthrough not only breaks the performance record of domestic ADCs, but also marks that my country has reached international leadership in the field of high-end RF direct sampling.
In the world of high-speed signal processing, RF Direct Sampling (RFDS) technology is considered the "crown jewel." It directly samples high-frequency RF signals, significantly simplifying system design, improving reliability, and reducing power consumption. However, this technology is extremely difficult to implement, especially for applications in the KU band (12-18 GHz), where it has long been monopolized by a small number of foreign manufacturers.
if this is over 4 channels -> 160 GSPS?
此次成都华微发布的芯片，其高达19GHz的模拟输入带宽，意味着它能直接覆盖C、X、KU乃至部分K波段信号，真正实现了“射频直采自由”。无论是卫星通信、毫米波雷达还是电子侦察，从此都能轻装上阵，性能更强，成本更低。
it can directly cover C, X, KU, and even some K-band signals, truly achieving "radio frequency direct acquisition freedom." Whether it's satellite communications, millimeter-wave radar, or electronic reconnaissance, it can now be deployed with less effort, enhanced performance, and lower costs.
I've been thinking about the connection between ADC chips and oscilloscopes
Texas Instruments (TI) (NASDAQ:TXN) today introduced a new ultra-high-speed analog-to-digital converter (ADC) with the industry's widest bandwidth, fastest sampling rate and lowest power consumption. The ADC12DJ5200RF helps engineers achieve high measurement accuracy for 5G testing applications and oscilloscopes, and direct X-band sampling for radar applications.
so I think you need high speed ADC chips to support oscilloscopes and 5G and stuff. This was 2019.
But CEC now has achieved 19GHz bandwidth, 40 GSPS over 4 channels at 12-bit. That's crazy high.
If we look back at CEC, they only got to 8 bit 64 GSPS back in 2024. And that might be how it was able to use the chip to get to 90GHz oscilloscopes. It seems to me the role of ADC is so critical in advanced mechanical engineering field.
