What Arasan Chip Systems does

Arasan Chip Systems, Inc. is a privately held semiconductor intellectual property (IP) provider founded in 1999 and headquartered in San Jose, California. The company designs and licenses Total IP Solutions — a comprehensive portfolio encompassing digital controllers, analog/mixed-signal (AMS) PHY IP, verification IP, hardware development kits (HDKs), and software stacks — to semiconductor companies, SoC designers, and foundries. Arasan's IP has been deployed in over one billion chips and is silicon-proven across foundry nodes from 40nm down to 3nm/4nm, with availability on TSMC, GlobalFoundries, and UMC.

The product portfolio spans four core families: mobile storage (eMMC 5.1, UFS 2.1–5.0, ONFI NAND Flash including radiation-hardened variants, SD Card); mobile connectivity (MIPI-based CSI-2, DSI/DSI-2, I3C, RFFE, SoundWire, SWI3S, UniPro, SLIMbus); wired interfaces (USB 2.0/3.0, Ethernet up to 10GE with IEEE 1588/AVB, CAN 2.0/CAN FD/CAN XL, LIN, PCIe); and embedded memory interfaces (xSPI, PSRAM), plus display compression (VESA DSC, VDC-M) and hardware validation platforms. Arasan holds multiple industry-first certifications, including ASIL-D for CAN XL IP from SGS-TÜV Saar and ISO 26262 functional safety across MIPI and eMMC IP products. The company has been an executive member of the MIPI Alliance since 2005 and a member of the UFS Association since 2010, actively shaping the standards its products implement.

Arasan monetizes through direct IP licensing to enterprise customers, offering perpetual, time-bound, and pay-per-use models for ASIC and FPGA applications, with volume-based FPGA pricing tied to chip shipment volumes. Its go-to-market is sales-led, targeting mobile/consumer SoC designers, automotive chip manufacturers, defense/aerospace/medical semiconductor companies, AI/edge computing SoC designers, and IoT/drone chip companies. Channel and ecosystem reach is extended through the Xilinx Alliance Program, foundry partnerships, and testing-equipment OEM relationships (e.g., UFS IP embedded as the de facto reference standard in production and compliance testers). Leadership includes A.K. Ganesan (President and CEO), Prakash Kamath (VP Engineering), Ron Mabry (VP Worldwide Sales), Rao Padamunnur (CFO), and Ajay Jain (Director Mobile Connectivity Products).

Name

Arasan Chip Systems

Legal name

Arasan Chip Systems, Inc.

Website

https://arasan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Arasan Chip Systems is a privately held semiconductor IP provider licensing Total IP Solutions — controllers, PHY, software, and HDKs — for mobile storage, MIPI connectivity, wired interfaces, and embedded memory to SoC designers across mobile, automotive, defense/aerospace, and edge AI markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Semiconductor Intellectual Property (IP)

NAICS

Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing (334413)

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674)

akta.pro primary industry

Hardware/Chip Design IP Cores (Processor, Interface, Analog, Security) (HDAHAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Silicon IP Subsystems & Chiplet IP (Die-to-Die, UCIe, NoC, I/O chiplets) (HDAHAFAH), Hardware Security EDA & IP (Secure Design, PUF, Crypto, Anti-Tamper) (HDAHAFAK), Embedded & Industrial Network Interfaces (PCIe/M.2/SOM/SoC NICs) (HDAFAEAI), IP Enablement, Characterization & Porting Services (HDAHAFAI)

Keywords

• Semiconductor IP cores
• Mobile storage IP
• MIPI interface IP
• Automotive functional safety IP
• Analog mixed-signal PHY

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Semiconductor IP Licensing: Arasan licenses its semiconductor IP (digital controllers, PHY, verification IP, software stacks, HDK) to semiconductor companies and foundries for inclusion in ASIC and FPGA designs. Licensing models include perpetual licensing (one-time fee for lifetime usage), time-bound licensing (temporary access for defined periods), and pay-per-use models for smaller or experimental projects. IP is available across major foundry nodes from 40nm to 3nm/4nm.
2. Volume-Based FPGA IP Pricing: FPGA pricing is volume-based, tied to the number of chip shipments using Arasan IP and the number of IP instances per chip. Low-volume projects carry higher per-unit costs; high-volume projects benefit from significantly reduced per-unit pricing. Multi-use IP licensing adjusts pricing when the same IP is used multiple times within a chip. Project-specific customization available for large-scale or complex deployments with additional technical support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Arasan Chip Systems designs, develops, and licenses semiconductor intellectual property (IP) cores — digital controllers, analog/mixed-signal (AMS) PHY IP, verification IP, hardware development kits (HDK), and software stacks — covering mobile storage (eMMC, UFS, ONFI NAND Flash, SD Card), mobile connectivity (MIPI-based CSI, DSI, I3C, RFFE, SoundWire, SWI3S, UniPro, SLIMbus), wired interfaces (USB, Ethernet, CAN/CAN FD/CAN XL, PCIe), embedded memory (xSPI, PSRAM), and display compression (VESA DSC/VDC-M). IP is delivered as licensed design data for integration into customer ASIC and FPGA SoC designs on foundry nodes from 40nm down to 3nm/4nm, with automotive-grade ISO 26262 certified variants.

Product overview

Arasan Chip Systems is a leading semiconductor intellectual property (IP) provider offering Total IP Solutions — a comprehensive portfolio of digital IP cores, Analog Mixed Signal (AMS) PHY IP, Verification IP, Hardware Development Kits (HDK), and software — for mobile storage, mobile connectivity, and wired interface applications. The company's product portfolio is organized around several core IP families: (1) Mobile Storage IP including eMMC 5.1 (controller, PHY, device, driver, and HVP), UFS (5.0/4.1/4.0/3.1/3.0/2.1 host and device controllers), ONFI NAND Flash controllers and PHYs (v5.0/4.2/3.2/3.0/2.x), and SD Card IP (v4.1, v3.0); (2) xSPI and PSRAM IP including 16-bit xSPI + PSRAM Master IP and PHY solutions; (3) Mobile Connectivity (MIPI) IP covering CSI-2 (transmitter and receiver), DSI and DSI-2 (transmit and receive), D-PHY (v1.2/v2.1/v2.5), C-PHY (v1.0/v1.1/v1.2/v2.0), M-PHY (v3.1/v4.1), I3C (host, device, dual-role controllers and PHYs), SoundWire (master and slave), RFFE (master and slave), SLIMbus, UniPro, and LLI; (4) Wired Interface IP including USB 2.0 (host, hub, device, OTG, PHY, HSIC PHY), USB 3.0 (device, SSIC adapter, xHCI driver), Ethernet (Fast/Gigabit/10GE MAC with IEEE 1588 PTP and AVB support), CAN/CAN FD/CAN XL Bus Controller IP, LIN Controller IP, and PCIe Endpoint; (5) Display Compression IP including VESA DSC (encoder and decoder, v1.1 and v1.2) and VESA VDC-M; (6) Other protocols including SPMI, eUSB2 (v1.2 and v2.0), I2C, I2S, SPI, UART, and BCH ECC; and (7) Hardware Validation Platforms (HVP) and software stacks/drivers. The company holds executive membership in the MIPI Alliance (since 2005) and is a member of the UFS Association (since 2010).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UFS 5.0 Host Controller IP Universal Flash Storage Host Controller IP supporting the UFS 5.0 specification with M-PHY HS-Gear 6 operation, delivering up to 46.694 Gbps maximum throughput at low power for mobile, automotive, and edge AI applications. Sold to semiconductor companies and tester vendors via IP licensing.
• xSPI + eMMC Combo PHY IP Dual-mode analog/mixed-signal PHY IP integrating xSPI NOR Flash and eMMC 5.1 NAND Flash protocols into a single unified block, using shared I/O and analog front-end to reduce pin count and silicon footprint. Available on foundry nodes from 28nm to 3nm for mission-critical defense, aerospace, and medical SoCs.
• Sureboot Total 16-bit xSPI + PSRAM IP Solution Total IP solution bundling controller IP, integrated PHY, and software stack for 16-bit xSPI and PSRAM memory interfaces, supporting AP Memory's Xccela PSRAM and LVpSRAM. Doubles standard throughput via two 8-bit lanes at 266 MHz and is fully compliant with JEDEC JESD251C. Sold to mobile, automotive, IoT, and edge AI SoC designers.
• MIPI CSI-2 v1.3 Receiver IP MIPI Camera Serial Interface 2 Receiver IP core supporting CSI-2 v1.3 with D-PHY v1.2 and C-PHY v1.0, configurable up to 8-lane D-PHY or 3-lane C-PHY, 40 Mbps to 5.7 Gbps per lane, supporting RAW, YUV, and RGB pixel formats. For mobile, automotive, and consumer camera SoC designs.
• MIPI DSI / DSI-2 IP MIPI Display Serial Interface Transmitter and Receiver IP cores supporting DSI v1.3 and DSI-2 specifications, with ISO 26262 ASIL-B certified variants for automotive display applications. For mobile and automotive display SoCs.
• MIPI D-PHY IP (2nd Generation Ultra Low Power) Automotive-grade MIPI D-PHY Physical Layer IP (2nd generation ultra low power) certified for ISO 26262 functional safety, available on foundry nodes from 40nm to 4nm for ADAS, digital cockpits, and surround-view systems.
• MIPI C-PHY / D-PHY Combo IP MIPI C-PHY and Combo C-PHY + D-PHY Physical Layer IP supporting C-PHY v1.0 through v2.0 and D-PHY v1.2 through v2.5, with speeds up to 4.5 GHz on 12nm processes for camera and display SoCs.
• MIPI M-PHY IP MIPI M-PHY Physical Layer IP supporting Gear 3/Gear 4 operation for high-speed data transfer in UFS and other MIPI-based applications, available in versions up to M-PHY v4.1.
• MIPI I3C Host/Device/Dual-Role Controller IP MIPI I3C Host, Device, and Dual-Role Controller IP cores compliant to MIPI I3C specifications v1.1 and v1.2, supporting sensor integration and high-speed communication in mobile and automotive SoCs.
• MIPI I3C PHY IP MIPI I3C Physical Layer IP supporting both ternary and non-ternary signaling modes for sensor and device connectivity in mobile and automotive SoCs.
• MIPI SoundWire IP MIPI SoundWire Master and Slave IP cores supporting the SoundWire digital audio interface standard for microphones, audio codecs, amplifiers, and headsets in mobile devices.
• MIPI SWI3S Manager IP and Peripheral Controller IP Industry's first MIPI SWI3S Manager IP and SWI3S Peripheral Controller IP cores for digital audio components in mobile devices such as microphones, audio codecs, amplifiers, and headsets, enabling half-duplex communication with reduced wires, lower power, and high bandwidth.
• MIPI RFFE IP MIPI RFFE (Radio Frequency Front-End) Master and Slave IP cores compliant to RFFE v2.0 and v3.0 specifications for controlling RF front-end components in mobile devices.
• MIPI UniPro IP MIPI UniPro Controller and Stack IP for the UniPro protocol layer supporting UFS and other MIPI-based interconnect architectures.
• MIPI SLIMbus IP MIPI SLIMbus Host, Device, and Stack IP cores for digital audio interconnect in mobile platforms.
• CAN XL Bus Controller IP CAN XL Bus Controller IP certified as ASIL-D by SGS-TÜV Saar — the industry's first CAN XL IP to achieve the highest ISO 26262 functional safety level for road vehicles, with certification also covering Arasan's CAN FD IP and CAN 2.0 IP products. For automotive, defense, aerospace, and medical safety-critical SoCs.
• CAN FD Bus Controller IP CAN FD Bus Controller IP for automotive applications, available with ASIL-D certification and supporting seamless integration with CANsec security accelerator IP for secured in-vehicle networking.
• LIN Controller IP Host/Device LIN (Local Interconnect Network) Controller IP for automotive sub-bus communication with optional SRAM interface.
• CANsec Bus Controller IP CANsec Bus Controller IP core providing security acceleration for CAN-based automotive networks, seamlessly integrated with Arasan's CAN IP portfolio.
• eMMC 5.1 Total IP Solution Total IP Solution encompassing eMMC 5.1 controller IP, HS400 PHY, device IP, I/O pads, software driver, and hardware validation platform, available on foundry nodes down to 5nm with ISO 26262 ASIL-B certification.
• UFS IP (2.1–5.0) UFS Host and Device Controller IP solutions spanning UFS 2.1 through 5.0 with integrated M-PHY IP. The de facto standard IP used in UFS production and compliance testers, licensed to major memory vendors and semiconductor companies since 2011.
• ONFI NAND Flash IP ONFI-compliant NAND Flash Controller and PHY IP solutions supporting ONFI v5.0, v4.2, v3.2, v3.0, and v2.x specifications, including radiation-hardened variants for space applications.
• xSPI Master IP xSPI Master IP supporting Octal, Quad, and Dual SPI NOR Flash with backward compatibility, available as QSPI and xSPI variants, with integrated PHY and software stack.
• USB 2.0 IP USB 2.0 Host, Device, OTG (Dual Role Device), Hub, and HSIC PHY IP cores with comprehensive software stacks, designed for embedded and mobile applications.
• USB 3.0 IP USB 3.0 Device Controller and SSIC (SuperSpeed Inter-Chip) Adapter IP cores with xHCI driver support, enabling high-speed chip-to-chip communication.
• eUSB2 IP Embedded USB2 (eUSB2) Controller and PHY IP solutions supporting eUSB2 v1.2 and v2.0 specifications for next-generation embedded connectivity with reduced power and pin count.
• 10 Gigabit Ethernet MAC IP 10 Gigabit Ethernet MAC IP core compliant with IEEE 802.3-2008 standard, supporting XGMII interface, 64-bit or 128-bit scatter-gather DMA, and AHB/AXI host interfaces.
• Gigabit Ethernet with IEEE 1588/AVB IP Gigabit Ethernet MAC IP with hardware-assisted IEEE 1588 PTP (Precision Time Protocol) for time synchronization and IEEE 802.1 AVB (Audio Video Bridging) support for real-time media streaming.
• Fast/Gigabit Ethernet IP Fast and Gigabit Ethernet MAC IP cores compliant with IEEE 802.3 standards, with optional IEEE 1588 PTP support and associated Linux device driver.
• VESA DSC IP VESA Display Stream Compression Encoder and Decoder IP cores supporting DSC v1.1 and v1.2, used to reduce bandwidth requirements for high-resolution displays, integrated with Arasan's MIPI DSI-2 total IP solution.
• VESA VDC-M Encoder IP VESA Display Stream Compression VDC-M Encoder IP core for high-reliability automotive and mission-critical display compression applications.
• PCIe Endpoint IP PCIe Endpoint IP core for high-speed peripheral component interconnect express connectivity in SoC designs.
• MIPI SPMI IP MIPI SPMI (System Power Management Interface) Host and Device configurable controller IP cores for power management in mobile and automotive platforms.
• SD / SDIO IP SD Card and SDIO Host Controller IP cores supporting SD v4.1, v3.0 and SDIO 3.0 specifications, with UHS-II PHY and combo device variants.
• I2C / I2S / SPI / UART IP Low-speed serial interface IP cores including I2S audio controller, SPI AHB bridge, I2C APB bridge, and 16550D UART IP for peripheral connectivity in SoC designs.
• BCH ECC IP BCH Error Correction Code IP core for NAND Flash storage, providing throughput-driven architecture for robust data integrity in flash memory systems.
• Hardware Validation Platforms (HVP) Hardware Validation Platforms (HVP) used for IP prototyping and standards compliance testing, including C-PHY HDK and MIPI compliance test platforms for hardware and software engineers.
• Radiation-Hardened NAND Flash IP Radiation-hardened NAND Flash IP variant designed for space and aerospace applications requiring enhanced radiation tolerance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 billion chips deployed with Arasan IP, demonstrating silicon-proven reliability and market scale
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AP MemorycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2026Arasan and AP Memory co-developed the industry's first Sureboot™ Total 16-bit xSPI + PSRAM IP solution. The solution is designed to support AP Memory's Xccela™ PSRAM and LVpSRAM™ memory devices. AP Memory's Vice Chairman Jerry Hsueh confirmed support for the full PSRAM device range. The IP is immediately available across major foundries.
• SGS-TÜV SaarcoreOthersSGS-TÜV Saar independently verified and certified Arasan's CAN XL IP as ASIL-D compliant with ISO 26262 (the highest functional safety level for road vehicles). The certification body also covered Arasan's CAN FD IP and CAN 2.0 IP products. This certification enables Arasan to serve safety-critical automotive markets.
• Xilinx (AMD)coreTechnology or IntegrationArasan is a Xilinx Alliance Program member. The company provides Total IP solutions for Xilinx FPGAs, including MIPI I3C IP, CSI-2 IP, and DSI-2 IP. Arasan has announced design wins providing Total UFS 3.0 Solution to Wuhan Jingce via Xilinx.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Synopsys: Synopsys is the largest EDA and semiconductor IP vendor; its DesignWare IP portfolio directly overlaps with Arasan in MIPI (CSI/DSI/D-PHY), USB, PCIe, Ethernet, and storage controller IP — making it the most significant broad incumbent competitor for Arasan's mobile connectivity and wired interface lines.
• Cadence Design Systems: Cadence offers a broad semiconductor IP portfolio (including MIPI, USB, PCIe, Ethernet, memory controller IP) alongside its EDA tools. Cadence is an explicit technology/integration partner of Arasan but also competes at the high end with bundled hardware-software solutions targeting the same SoC designers.
• Rambus Inc. Rambus is a broad semiconductor IP and chip company offering memory interface, interconnect, and security IP. Its interface IP portfolio competes with Arasan in memory/storage IP and security (counterpart to Arasan's CANsec), targeting the same SoC ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Imagination Technologies: Imagination is a semiconductor IP company shipping GPU, AI accelerator, and connectivity IP (including MIPI/RFFE) to mobile and automotive SoC customers — overlapping with Arasan on mobile connectivity IP and competing for the same SoC designer accounts.
• VeriSilicon: VeriSilicon is a comparable fabless semiconductor IP licensor offering image, video, audio, voice, AI, and connectivity IP. Its portfolio of MIPI, storage controller, and wireless interfaces puts it in direct competition with Arasan's mobile storage and connectivity IP across ASIC and FPGA customers.
• CEVA, Inc. CEVA licenses DSP, AI, and connectivity IP (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UFS, MIPI) to wireless, IoT, and automotive semiconductor customers. It directly competes with Arasan on wireless connectivity IP and storage controller IP serving mobile and IoT SoC designers.
• Alphawave Semi: Alphawave is a pure-play connectivity IP company specializing in high-speed SerDes, PCIe, and memory interface IP targeting data center and networking SoCs. It is a direct peer to Arasan's wired/memory interface lines in silicon-proven IP licensing to fabless semiconductor companies.
• Silicon Creations (Rambus IP): Silicon Creations (acquired by Rambus) specializes in analog/mixed-signal IP including PLLs, SerDes, and PHY IP. Its mixed-signal PHY expertise competes with Arasan's PHY IP offerings across same foundry nodes and customer segments.
• M31 Technology Corporation: M31 is a Taiwan-based pure-play semiconductor IP provider specializing in high-speed interface IP (USB, PCIe, MIPI) and foundational IP. It is a direct competitor to Arasan in interface IP licensing targeting mobile and consumer SoC designers, particularly in Asia.

Emerging players

• Truechip Solutions: Truechip is an emerging verification IP and design services company focused on connectivity protocols (USB, MIPI, PCIe, DDR). It is an emerging peer that partially overlaps with Arasan's verification IP and HDK offerings in the same protocols and customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/arasanip
• Facebookfacebook.com/arasanchipsystems
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arasan-chip-systems-inc.-

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arasan Chip Systems