LG Selects Highly Integrated Cypress USB-C Solution for Ultra-Lightweight Notebook

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: CY), the market leader in USB-C, today announced that LG Electronics Inc. has selected Cypress’ EZ-PD™ CCG3 controllers, the industry’s most highly integrated USB-C solutions, for three new models of its ultra-lightweight LG Gram notebook. CCG3 integrates multiple components and supports the new USB-C UCSI connection standard, enabling LG to meet its size and feature requirements. CCG3 is featured in the LG Gram 13”, LG Gram 14” and LG Gram 15” notebooks. More information on the EZ-PD CCG3 controller is available at https://www.cypress.com/ccg3.

“With the push for USB Power Delivery and UCSI to be standardized in PCs, it was important to us to find a USB-C controller that supports flexible notebook architectures,” LG said in a statement about the Cypress design win. “Cypress’ programmable CCG3 controllers offer custom firmware support, making us confident that we can easily adhere to future changes in the standard.”

“Cypress has a first-to-market track record in USB-C,” said Mark Fu, senior marketing director of Cypress’ Wired Connectivity Business Unit. “Our programmable solutions enable customers to shrink their form factors and accelerate their time-to-market. The LG Gram notebook win expands our laptop and PC market share. It is an exciting design win for us.”

The USB Type-C Connector System Software Interface (UCSI) is a standardized mechanism for operating systems to monitor and control power delivery and the multiple protocols on a USB-C port in a PC. The programmable CCG3 solution enables UCSI and custom firmware development through Cypress’ host process interface (HPI). CCG3 integrates gate drivers for power FETs, a high-voltage regulator and analog blocks that enable it to be powered directly from the VBus. Programmable overvoltage and overcurrent circuitry protects systems against power overloads and other faulty operating conditions. The CCG3 controller includes an ARM^® Cortex^®-M0 processor, two 64KB flash memory banks for fail-safe firmware updates and an integrated Crypto Engine for firmware update authentication. CCG3 also incorporates an analog switch for non-USB signals, such as DisplayPort control signals, along with four serial communication blocks and a USB full-speed controller for USB Billboard functionality.